Reunion
by Aline Riva
Summary: *A novel set in 2012, a modern day take on The Perils of Penelope Pitstop with a spin on the plot that looks at the characters from a different angle.* Penelope Pitstop finds her world turned upside down when Sylvester is released from prison - as the two of them get closer she doesn't realize she is in danger - and this time, The Hooded Claw is NOT Sylvester - but can he save her?
1. Chapter 1

**REUNION**

* * *

**Author Note:**

**This story is based off the idea of the cartoon series 'The Perils of Penelope Pitstop'.**

**BUT:**

**This story is written as a modern day reboot of the old ideas from the cartoon, with a spin on the plot and written as if the characters are 'live' instead of anime.**

**It is set in 2012 and has a different take on the situations of the characters, has a solid background history to the story and is a drama/suspense/romance.**

**So it's not 'the cartoon' it's based off the _idea_ of the cartoon, and is written for grown ups who enjoyed the cartoons and would perhaps like to see an adult, modern day take on the ideas from the cartoon put into a story set in modern times. **

**The pairing in this story is Penelope/Sylvester – and yes, it IS romantic.**

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**Rated: T.**

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**Disclaimer: I own nothing at all; this is a fan work, written for love of the fandom.**

* * *

**Summary:**

**(The Past):**

**At the age of seventeen, Penelope Pitstop's wealthy parents were shot to death by a hooded intruder who robbed the family safe.**

**After this tragedy, Penelope went to live with her guardian Sylvester Sneekly – her late father's young and brilliant business partner.**

**But Penelope was still traumatized by her parent's deaths and her dreams were haunted by terrifying images of a hooded man breaking into her bedroom.**

**When she confided in Sylvester, a shy young man of twenty five who could barely hold a conversation with pretty young Penelope, she told him all about the 'Hooded Claw' of her nightmares.**

**Sylvester was sympathetic - but unknown to Penelope, suffered from strange blackouts. During one of these blackouts he 'became' the man from her nightmares and abducted her – she escaped unharmed and Sneekly was sent to jail.**

**While in jail it emerged that Sneekly was seriously ill at the time of the incident – and hewas telling the truth when he claimed he had no memory of what he did.**

**And when his lawyer begged Penelope to consider helping to get his sentance reduced, Penelope refused, although later regretted her decision when she learned how dangerously ill Sylvester was.**

**Penelope put the past behind her and got on with her life.**

**Sylvester struggled to cope in prison and after suffering debilitating affects of life saving surgery, decided to give up on life. But he had a friend in his cellmate Frankie Sparks, a former mobster, who vowed to help him because young Sylvester reminded him of his late son...**

**The story begins after fifteen years pass:**

**Penelope's nightmares have faded. She is living in her late parent's house and owns the family's lucrative shipping business and now only dreams about the Hooded Claw of her nightmares when dark stormy clouds and heavy rain remind her of the night of her parents death.**

**She is now in a relationship with Clyde, a former member of a local street gang called the Ant Hill Mob, who uses Penelope's business to earn his own living – but Penelope has no clue how Clyde _really_ earns his money. She also has no clue that it was Clyde, fifteen years before, who as a sixteen year old kid who had nothing but a loaded gun, sneaked into her parents house disguised by his baggy hooded top and shot them and robbed the safe to launch his business - a_ business that has led Clyde to become a big time drug dealer.._**

**Then Sylvester is released from jail – and he is a _very_ different man for his time in prison - and when Clyde finds Penelope has reached a point of understanding and forgiveness towards him, and realizes there is even a hint of attraction between the two of them, he reacts by making Sylvester's life hell and then hatching a plan to 'become' a living, breathing version of The Hooded Claw - Clyde's _own _version of Penelope's nightmare man - a scheming sadist who will have Penelope put through a series of terrifying traps to shred her confidence, to push her into marrying him so that he can have her committed to a mental hospital, to enable Clyde to take over the Pitstop business and fortune...**

**Can Penelope _ever_ see through the veil of deceit? **

**Will she _ever_ realise that Clyde is _not_ the sweet loving boyfriend she imagines him to be?**

**And can Sylvester save her from her fate...and will true love find a way for two people who are very much in love, but both too afraid to admit the truth?**

* * *

Chapter 1

_It was raining again. _

Not the kind of fresh morning shower that ended with sunshine and birds singing in the trees; this was the kind of downpour that constantly drenched the world, making it look as if the windows were melting and turning to water.

The skies were blackening and the light, airy bedroom where she slept was darkening to shadow as the clouds gathered.

Thunder sounded, a flicker of lightening snaked across the sky and the rain fell harder.

She was tossing and turning beneath silken sheets, trying to escape the dreams the stormy weather always brought with it.

Lightening flashed in her mind as she saw it again:

She ran in the rain while the storm rumbled overhead, fighting to get past the crowd of shocked on lookers as two bodies were brought out of the front door of the house in closed body bags..

_The lightening flashed again._

She was sitting in the interview room and the cop was talking to her.

"_I'm sorry Miss Pitstop, but it was a brutal robbery. An armed man broke into your parent's house while you were out. He went up to the bedroom and shot your parents dead in their beds and then he robbed the safe. We have little to go on, except a neighbour saw a man in a hooded top running from the scene of the crime..."_

Two more flashes went off in the dark, this time from the killer's gun as her parent's bodies jerked with the impact.

Penelope blinked.

_Daylight... _

_After the funeral:_

She got back into the car and he sat beside her. He was a young man in his mid twenties, her late father's business partner, a shy man who could barely glance at her through the lenses of his thick glasses as he patted her hand and then quickly let go again.

"Don't worry, my dear." Said Sylvester Sneekly, "I'll take care of you..."

_The darkness fell again_.

The hooded man rose up from the shadow as if he were made of it; he strode towards her and his voice sounded rasping and cold as the graves where her parents rested their bones:  
_"I'm coming to get you Penelope!"_ He roared, lunging at her with a machete in his hand.

He landed on top of her and they were fighting and fighting...

_Then the light came on and Sylvester was standing in the doorway looking tired and pale and staring at Penelope._

"What's happened?" He said in a shocked voice.

She sat up in bed and sobbed as she told him of her nightmares.

"I'll get you a therapist." He said gently, "It might help."

_The storm was still raging but sleep would not let go of Penelope Pitstop_.

She was back in her room again, back then in those dark times, afraid to sleep even though the therapist had told her the hooded man was a psychological reaction to the way her parents had died.

She dreamed of him every time she fell asleep, he stalked her dreams, always pouncing out of the shadows, moving like a blur, one step, another and another and then he was on her and she was fighting him as he tried to bring down that blade and slice her in two...

_Hooded Claw._

_That was the name she gave her __boogeyman_...

The scene switched to a quiet afternoon on the sofa, Sylvester sat down beside her. He rubbed his aching temple and put a handkerchief to his nose as he tried to stop yet another nose bleed.

"Maybe it would help if you told me about this...hooded _what?_"

"_Hooded Claw."_ Penelope whispered, then she took in a breath and spoke quietly:

"He comes out of the shadows all in black. I never see his face but he's got this deep, horrible voice. And he pins me to the bed and that's when I see it, he's got a machete in his hand and I know I'm dead..."

And Sylvester winced as his headache pounded and got up quickly, leaving the room before his handkerchief soaked through with blood.

_She knew it was coming as soon as she saw herself back in the kitchen while yet another storm rumbled overhead:_

Penelope tried to wake up because this was no easy trip down memory lane; it was more like a nightmare fairground ride on a horrible ghost train that she had no escape from...

_He came out of the shadows._

_He was breathing heavily._

She dropped the glass of milk and as it slipped from her hand she heard the glass shatter but her gaze would not leave the figure who stood draped in black by the doorway, blocking her exit...

_"I have you now, Penelope..."_He murmured.

Something silver glinted in his hand, catching the moonlight and as her eyes grew wider she screamed, seeing this was not a machete; this was a carving knife taken from the knife block here in the kitchen.

And this was not some fictional nightmare man in her dreams; either – _this man was real._

_She knew by his voice that it was Sylvester. She knew it as sure as blood began to drip on the floor from yet another of his strange nosebleeds that he just couldn't get under control._

He grabbed her; they fell hard onto the floor together as he raised the knife and brought it down.

Penelope shifted and the knife slammed against the floor.

He pulled it from the woodwork and she raised her knee, smashing it into his groin.

As he rolled over in agony, she pushed him off and scrambled to her feet, dashing from the room, not caring she had stepped in broken glass to reach that doorway.

_Her hand grabbed the lock._

She pulled, twisted, unhooked the latches, pulled down the second lock and wrenched open the door just as he got to his feet and started to run.

Penelope ran across the lawn, screaming loudly for help as he chased close behind her.

She ran into the road, cars screeching to a halt as they skidded to avoid the screaming young woman in a short pink night gown who was being chased by a guy in some kind of Halloween costume.

Penelope saw the patrol car and threw herself against it as the cops got out.

One of them grabbed her and sat her on the back seat while she sobbed and cried about Sylvester going crazy.

The other cop chased him across the lawn, brought him down to ground and disarmed and cuffed him.

"_He tired to kill me, he tried to kill me!"_ She sobbed over and over.

_And then the dreams of the past let her go._

Penelope woke up with a sharp gasp as she snapped her eyes open and found herself far from the past that had just played out inside her head.

But all the same as the morning storm clouds hung black over the world and the rain poured down, yesterday seemed as close as the next room and she sat up, heart pounding as she took some deep breaths...

"I'm sure that was the worst dream I've had for a _long_ time!" She said loud, taking another deep breath.

Then she closed her eyes and spoke aloud again.

"_It's the year 2012. The past is over. OVER, Penelope..."_

Then she opened her big brown eyes and nervously scanned the room _just_ in case this was still a dream and that shadow man, that figment of her imagination, might jump out at her again...

_But the curtains shifted in the breeze and the rain continued to fall. _

_The storm was passing over now_.

Penelope got out of bed and headed for her pink bathroom, where she was sure a shower would wake her up and help to put her nightmares and dreams of the past back into perspective.

"_It's just a stupid old storm!"_ She said as she slipped off her night gown and stepped under a jet of warm water, _"Just a storm..."_

And she closed her eyes as the water danced over her flesh and warmed her skin and washed through her long blonde hair.

As she showered her thoughts briefly switched to the man who had gone crazy that night, becoming the Hooded Claw...

_But now Penelope felt no fear._

It had been different back then, when the memory was fresh and she still felt raw with the shock of it.

That had been her reason for not speaking up for him in court when he appealed his sentance; back then it hadn't mattered to Penelope that he was sick at the time of the attack, that it was the blackouts that had caused him to turn into something out of her nightmare- he could have _killed_ her and that was all she had focussed on at the time...

Afterwards, when she knew the truth, when it was too late to help, she regretted that decision:

_Sylvester had no memory of attacking her._

_He had suffered severe seizures after his arrest._

_But they hadn't found out about the brain __tumor__ until after he had gone to jail_.

She gave a sigh as the water danced over her skin:

_Poor Sylvester..._

Then she put the past firmly out of her mind, because the sun was coming out, it was shining through the bathroom window as if the storm had never happened and this bright new start only served as reminder to Penelope that she had a life to be getting on with; she didn't like to linger in the past too long – _not in a past with such terrible memories, a past that seemed to have monsters lurking at every turn in the dark winding corridors of her mind..._

* * *

By eleven that morning the sun was still shining and by now the sky was flawless.

Melanie Love, Penelope's closest friend since her college days, was sitting at a table in the outside area of the restaurant because eating outside had seemed like a good idea, until it grew later and later and it dawned on her that she might well be eating alone if Penelope didn't show up soon...

The short, dark haired woman in the polka dot dress checked her watch again and frowned.

Then she called a waiter over to the table.

"Excuse me," She said to him, "I'm waiting for my friend. I'm wondering if she might have gone inside instead of coming out here- you might have seen her..._tall, blonde, white boots...likes pink?_ Have you seen her?"

But the water just shook his head and walked off towards another table.

Then she heard the sound of a zippy little engine and she turned her head, seeing Penelope's pink Mini Coupe with a number five painted on the side of it turn into the parking lot.

Penelope parked the car and got out, then hurried over to her table.

"I'm so sorry I was late!" She exclaimed, "I had a million things to do this morning and I almost forgot about you!"

Melanie looked at Penelope and wondered if some of those million things she had to do were anything connected with her outfit...

She glanced at her tight, short pink dress and those white boots she loved to wear and then she saw what _else_ she was wearing and she gave a sigh.

"Why oh _why_ are you wearing that pink helmet?" She asked her.

Penelope smiled and took it off, giving her blonde hair a shake.

"It's retro! You know me, if it's retro I've gotta have it!" She exclaimed.

Then she sat down at the table.

After they ordered lunch, Penelope fell silent.

The waiter came back and placed their drinks on the table but Penelope was still silent. She just sat there lost in her own thoughts watching the bubbles rise in her glass of mineral water.

"That was some storm we had this morning." Melanie remarked, making a guess and as Penelope looked at her and she saw the haunted look in her dark eyes, she knew that she was right.

_"Bad dream again?"_

Penelope nodded.

"I had bad dreams that covered just about everything! I saw it all again - my parents getting shot, me getting the bad dreams and then Sylvester turning into the Hooded Claw... I don't think I can ever forget that, not really. I mean, its one thing to have a boogeyman in your dreams – but to have a trusted _friend_ turn into the boogeyman in _real life?_ I can't forget it, I wish I could..."

"But he was sick." Melanie reminded her, "He didn't know what he was doing. That's why he got a reduction in his sentance. That's why they changed it from a whole life term to a minimum of fifteen years. He could be out soon."

Penelope's eyes had clouded with worry as she looked back at her friend.

"And then what?"

"And then let's hope the poor guy can get on with his life –let's hope he's still got some kind life to look forward to."

Penelope gave a sigh and she sipped the mineral water.

"I wish, I _really_ wish I'd never called that hospital to see how he was doing!"

_As she spoke she recalled the day she had gone off alone to a public phone booth to make a call that no one else could know about:_

By then Sylvester had been sent to jail and was in the hospital recovering from surgery and Penelope had been staying with Melanie's family. At the time she hadn't dared to tell anyone she had made enquires about his welfare, not after the way he had attacked her when he went crazy- but eventually, years later, she had told her best friend and now there were no secrets between them...

"But you did it because you know it wasn't his fault." Melanie reminded her

"But I didn't support him when he wanted to get his sentance cut. I couldn't. I don't know, Melanie- maybe I should have done. But it's too late now; he's been in jail fifteen years. _I can't take that back_."

And Penelope thought about it some more, recalling that phone call when she had been told the bad news that Sylvester had suffered complications, that he had lost the use of his left arm, that it would take him a long time to make any kind of recovery. She was told he was depressed, that he was finding everything so hard to accept.

She had wanted to visit him, but instead she had stayed away because it was easier just to get on with her life and draw a line under the past.

_But it did not stop her thinking about him._

"It wasn't his fault." She stated, "I _know_ that now! Why couldn't I have seen things differently back then?"

Her best friend looked into her eyes.

"Penelope," She said carefully, _"How would you feel if Sylvester walked in the restaurant right now and came up to you?"_

Penelope stared at her.

"_What...Here? Now..."_

She sounded scared.

"He traumatized you." Melanie told her, "Even if he had no control over his actions, even if he knew nothing about it because he was sick- _he still did those things!_ So don't feel bad about him doing time for it! "

Then the waiter came back with the food and as they ate lunch together, the subject was dropped.

* * *

Penelope had almost finished lunch when a big shiny white sports car rolled into the parking lot with the top down and the sound system up so high the walls of the surrounding buildings began to shake.

As the car engine turned off it killed the music and Melanie uncovered her ears.

"I see why he calls that car _ChuggaBOOM!_" She remarked.

Penelope watched as the blonde guy in the casual street clothes with luxury designer labels walked towards her and she smiled at him.

His heavy good chain glinted in the sunlight just like his bracelet, and the gold rings on his fingers did the same.

"Hey babe!" He exclaimed, standing behind Penelope's chair and putting his arm around her as he kissed her cheek, "Wanna come for a ride?"

She looked up at Clyde, with his short bleached out blond hair and thought how handsome he was- but he could have taken the time to shave... that guy _always_ looked as if he had run out of razor blades a couple of days before...

"I was intending to spend sometime with Melanie today."

His smile vanished.

"And I was hoping you and me could take a ride up to the coast, Penelope. I wanted to open up the Chuggaboom on full throttle."

"Sorry Clyde, maybe another time. I'm busy today."

Clyde leaned down and gave her a kiss and looked back at Melanie and smiled.

"I love this girl!" He said warmly, "I can't wait for the day she marries me! _She's worth a lot_."

Then he squeezed her tighter, adding: _"A lot me."_

Melanie stayed silent because Penelope was in love and it wouldn't come across as fair for her to say she had never liked Clyde; he had grown up down town and spent his youth in a street gang called the Anthill Mob. _She looked at him sometimes and wondered if Clyde loved Penelope at all; he was impatient to move in, impatient to marry her, too_...

But thankfully Penelope had held off on that kind of commitment and Melanie was relieved - because although she couldn't prove a thing, she had always had the feeling that Clyde could not be trusted and that maybe his main attraction to Penelope was the fact that she had inherited her late parent's vast fortune _and_ their shipping company a few years back...

But she had no proof, so saw no reason to voice doubts based on thin air that could hurt her best friend's feelings...

Clyde kissed Penelope again then he let go of her.

"Okay babe, I'll leave you and your friend to have lunch. I'll see you tomorrow."

"I'll call you!" Penelope promised, blowing him a kiss as he headed back to his car.

Moments later the music started up and the walls shook to the sound of hip hop turned onto full volume, the music only faded away as Clyde drove off and took his monster sound system with him.

As they turned back to finish lunch, the rain began to fall once more.

Penelope looked up and saw clouds had gathered heavily once more since her arrival and she wished she had taken her pink umbrella from the back of the car because she usually took it everywhere with her when it looked like rain – but it was too late now, lunch was over.

"Shall we go back to my place?" Penelope wondered.

"Good idea." Melanie replied.

* * *

_It was his last day in jail._

As he stood in front of the mirror and straightened his tie, Sylvester knew this was a day that most people would want to celebrate:

_He was getting out of here, he was a free man, his time had been served- his sentance was over..._

And Sylvester felt nervous as he thought about it:

He was going back to the world outside, back into a world that wouldn't understand that he had been in jail so long because of circumstances beyond his control...

_He had never thought this day would come._

It only seemed like yesterday he had been twenty five years old and thrown into jail over a black out that had cost him everything:

_He had no idea that he was sick._

_He had known nothing except that he would lose time and wake up feeling confused._

_Sylvester could still recall waking in a police cell, to be told he was being charged with attempted kidnap, attempted assault, attempted murder..._

_He had known little about the time that followed. _

The first time he had met his cell mate, a big, strong guy names Sparks, he had expected to die because he had been grabbed by the throat and slammed up against the wall as Sparks had told him he didn't want a pervert who abducted teenage girls as his cell mate. He had protested his innocence and tried to explain he couldn't remember what had happened...

_Then after a massive seizure Sylvester knew nothing else, waking up in a hospital with pain in his head and paralysis down his left side as a doctor explained to him he had needed emergency treatment to remove a brain tumor._

_Sylvester had felt just about ready to give up on life._

But a few weeks later everything had changed when he had an unexpected visitor:

_Frankie Sparks had walked into the room handcuffed to a guard._

He had glanced at the guard and spoken to him quietly.

"_You could at least take the cuffs off, didn't I pay you enough?" _He had remarked, and the guard had unlocked his cuffs and then stepped out of the room for a moment, and as he sat there in his hospital bed Sylvester had recalled how much Sparks had hated him and looked at him fearfully:

Sparks was someone important in jail. He was feared by other prisoners and respected by the guards. He always bribed his way into getting anything he wanted, too. Rumor had it that he was a business man who had been mixed up in organized crime and been jailed for shooting a rival...

_Sparks walked over to him and grabbed a pillow off a nearby chair._

"_I heard."_ He said quietly,"Because I'm the kind of guy who gets to know about everything. _I know now -you were telling the truth- you were sick, that's why you don't remember what you did._.."

As he came closer with that pillow, Sylvester blinked back tears and wondered if Sparks had come here to smother him with that thing.

_But as he spoke again his voice was gentle._

"I can see you've been through a lot. I heard the surgery was complicated. And I _know_ you didn't deliberately go after that girl – it was because of the brain tumor. That's why I'm calling my lawyer to see if we can get your sentance reduced."

And he placed the pillow across Sylvester's lap and carefully took hold of his paralyzed arm and rested it on top of it.

"That's how you need to support your arm." He told him, still looking down as he adjusted his arm for him, "I know about this stuff - my son was in a car accident and he ended up..."

Sparks paused, finally meeting Sylvester's gaze. One look at him told him all he needed to know:

_He had a big scar across the top of his head, his arm was paralysed and by the look in his eyes he guessed this guy who had nothing to look forward to but going back to jail had just about lost the will to live by now..._

"He ended up..._like you_." Sparks said, "Except his injuries were caused by a car crash. He died. He was my oldest son and I lost him. He would have been about your age, too. _I'm going to help you Sylvester._ I'll help you get through this and get through jail and I'll do everything I can to be a friend to you –I _want_ to. I had a feeling when I met you there was more to your story. I know about bad guys and I've known enough of them in jail - and _you_ just don't come across that way at all."

Sylvester's head had felt sore as he slowly turned and looked tearfully into Frankie Spark's eyes.

"You want to _help _me?"

Frankie ignored the tears running down his face and took hold of his paralyzed hand.

"Try and squeeze my hand."

"_I can't do it."_

"Sure you can." Frankie said, "Just _try_. That's all I'm asking you to do, I'm asking you not to give up. Can you do that for me?"

Sylvester had concentrated on the hand that felt like it didn't belong to him any more and his fingers weakly moved.

He was barely gripping his hand but it was enough for Sparks.

"You _can_ do it." He promised him, "And things _will _get better for you, I'll make sure of it. _Everybody needs a friend, Sylvester. You've got one now, you've got me_."

And Sparks had kept his word.

He had got him a lawyer, he had helped to get his sentance reduced.

He had taken him to the gym every day on his return to prison and at times Sylvester had felt like the guy was his torturer more than a friend as he had stood over him and taught him how to lift weights, making him work out until he _did_ get the use of his arm back.

_Sparks had taught him how to cope with prison life, too._

_He had got him through everything just like he had promised._

_And thirteen years into his sentance, Sparks had been released..._

Sylvester stepped back from the mirror and ran his hand down his immaculate, brand new dark suit: it was a gift from Sparks.

Then he took a final look at his reflection, seeing a man looking back at him who looked nothing like the man who had arrived here fifteen years ago; he had changed so much he was barely recognizable now:

The workouts in the gym had done more than give him back the use of his arm; his body was athletic and toned now.

His brown hair was shorter and cut in layers to fall in such a way that it would hide his scar - and it suited him, too.

His eyes were bright blue and he looked better for not wearing his thick glasses any more; after the operation he had suffered problems with his weakened vision and had needed laser surgery, so now he could see perfectly well without glasses.

_Sylvester was forty years old now and looked good for it._

He adjusted his tie.

The prison guard walked into his cell.

"Ready to go, Sylvester?" He asked him.

"_You bet I am."_ He said quietly, and then he walked out of the cell, following the guard towards the series of locked gates, knowing as each one unlocked he would be a step closer to freedom.

* * *

When the gate of the prison finally closed behind him, Sylvester stood alone looking at an empty road.

He was sure he had never felt so alone in his life.

He thought about the one thing that had been burning in his mind since the day he was arrested:

_He wanted to find Penelope and apologize to her, to tell her it had not been his fault, he had been sick at the time._

_He never would have hurt that girl, he had cared about her – he had been so young back then so shy and unsure of himself, so shy around that beautiful young woman..._

_It broke his heart to think she probably hated him for what he had done, but he still felt the need to find her and apologize, even if she couldn't forgive him._

He felt tearful as he recalled how half his life had been wasted and destroyed; _his illness hadn't just physically crippled him, it had caused him to lose his liberty, too..._

Then he heard a car horn blare out loudly and he turned around.

A limousine pulled up.

The driver got out and opened the passenger door.

Frankie Sparks got out and looked at Sylvester, standing there in a new suit and looking like a new man; he was _nothing_ like the scared guy he had met fifteen years before, the change in him was remarkable...

"How does it feel to be a free man?" He asked him warmly.

Sylvester briefly smiled.

"It feels good, Sparks."

And Sparks gave him a hug.

Then he got back into the limo.

"Come on," He said,"Let's get out of here, Sylvester."

And he got into the limo and the car pulled away from the prison gates.

As they drove away Sylvester still felt nervous to be back in a world he had long been absent from, and he still wanted to see Penelope too, no matter _what_ her reaction –but he knew there was one thing he was certain about as the car drove on and put a distance between him and the prison forever:

_Everybody needed a friend – and he sure had a good one in Frankie Sparks..._


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

As they drove along, Sylvester sat back and enjoyed the ride.

Being inside a limo was a world away from prison life and just to sit there while Sparks took two glasses and then a bottle from the built in bar was enough to remind him he was a free man once more and it felt so good he wanted to cry – but he wouldn't do it in front of Sparks, because Sparks always ignored him when he got emotional like that – he had learned that the first time he had shed tears in front of him back when he was recovering from the surgery all those years ago.

"There you go Sylvester." He said, handing him a glass.

As Sparks opened up a bottle and started pouring the fruit juice into it, Sylvester smiled.

"I'm glad you remembered I can't drink. I feel so grateful to you I would have drunk _anything_ you stuck in that glass!"

Sparks laughed.

"I'm _not _going to forget, I know you can't have booze. And I wouldn't expect you to drink booze if I'd forgotten - you have to look after yourself now."

What Sparks had just said was very true; Sylvester had been cured but still suffered seizures because of the surgery, but it was kept under control by medication and the medication worked well - as long as he didn't drink alcohol.

"I'm not likely to forget to do that." Sylvester replied.

His tone had become serious again and Sparks quickly pulled him out of that mood.

"Look at you." He said, "You're holding that glass in your left hand and it's steady as a rock!"

Those words brought optimism back into his voice.

"So it is!"

Sylvester sipped the fruit juice and then looked back at Sparks.

"So where are we going?"

"I'm going home to my wife and family." Sparks replied, "And I'd take you home with me but my wife doesn't like the idea of me bringing home friends from jail if you know what I mean – it's the same with business, anything that's not legit I keep well away from home. She found it hard when I was away; I was gone a long time. If it wasn't for that you could have come home with me, I've got a big house and a lot of room for a guest. But for now you can stay with a friend of mine. He lives above a little club I own called The Moonlight Bar. It's a two bedroom apartment, there's enough room for both of you. He runs the place for me but between you and me he could use a hand with the paperwork side of things - he's not too bright."

And the driver laughed.

"_And_ he's lazy! I've known Snoozy since he was a kid – me and him used to hang together. We grew up on Anthill."

And then he laughed.

"Heehheeeehhhheeee! We used to hang out with some _real _bad kids... _real bad_. But me and Snoozy-well mostly _me_ – I got the job first, then I woke his lazy ass up and dragged him along with me - me and Snoozy, we got out of that when we got jobs with Mr Sparks here and -"

"Hey Yak Yak?"

"What boss?" The driver said.

"_Quit your yakkin'!"_

"Right, Mr Sparks." He said, and fell silent once more.

Sparks smiled and shook his head. He lowered his voice as he spoke again.

"I've known Yak Yak and Snoozy for a long time. They started working for me just before I went to jail. I had Yak Yak working for my wife as her driver and running errands for her and the kids – and Snoozy took care of the bar. I love that bar, it was my father's - it's one of the oldest businesses in my family. It's not a big place but I'll never let go of it. And you have a job there as long as you want one."

And he reached into his pocket and handed him a folded wad of cash.

"That's for you – get yourself some more clothes, any thing else you need too."

Sylvester was staring at the small fortune in his hands.

He looked back at Sparks and shook his head.

"I think you made a mistake - this is a _lot_ of money."

Sparks shrugged.

"Not to me."

Then he reached in his other pocket and handed him a cell phone.

"That's yours too – stay in touch with me, I need to know you're coping okay."

Sylvester looked at the phone and smiled.

"My last phone before I went to jail couldn't even take a picture! This one looks like it can do everything!"

"Sure it can. It's a smart phone. And it's yours."

Sylvester wanted to thank him again, but then he realized the limo was slowing.

Then the limo stopped and Sparks got out.

Yak Yak made a move to get up but the short, dark guy with the laugh like a hyena who never knew when to shut up quickly sat back down as Sparks told him to stay put.

Sylvester got out of the limo and stood next to Sparks, looking at the old wooden fronted bar with a neon sign above the entrance.

"We don't open up until later." He said, "I'll take you up to meet Snoozy, he's probably in the office."

And he led him around the side of the building and unlocked a door.

They went inside and Sparks led him down a narrow corridor with old woodchip wallpaper and then up red carpeted stairs at the end of the hall.

They reached the top and Sparks pointed down the upper hall to a second door.

"That leads through to the apartment. This is the office."

And he pushed the door open.

It swung open to reveal a room with old furniture, some CCTV screens on a large monitor – _but no Snoozy._

Sparks turned back to the door.

"_The lazy bastard..."_ He muttered under his breath as he glanced at the messy sea of paperwork on the desk, and Sylvester followed him down the hall to the door that led to the apartment.

Sparks used his spare key to let himself in.

They went up the hallway and Sylvester looked around feeling mildly surprised; this place was old but in good condition. And while it was a world away from the expensive place he used to have before he went to jail, compared to jail this was like living in luxury.

They went through to the front room.

There was a guy on the sofa and the TV was on, but he wasn't watching TV. He was fast asleep with the TV remote control resting in his hand, snoring softly while a breeze blew in through the open window. He looked to be around thirty, the more or less the same age as Yak Yak, but this guy was taller, his legs were hanging off the end of the sofa and as he stopped snoring he turned on his side, reached up to push his fingers through his dark hair and scratch his head, then he carried on snoring.

A look of amusement crept into Spark's eyes.

"Watch this!" He said, creeping up on Snoozy.

Sparks leaned over the back of the sofa.

"WAKE UP!" He yelled sharply, ducking back again as Snoozy jumped up, blinking tired eyes as he looked around in confusion.

"_What? When? What was it?"_ He said in alarm.

Then he saw Sparks standing there and got up, quickly rubbing his eyes as he tried to wake up properly once more.

"Oh Hi Mr Sparks. It was quiet so I thought I'd have a nap..."

"You didn't do the paperwork?"

Snoozy blinked again.

"Paperwork... Oh! No, I was going to do it later –"

"Well you can leave that to your new partner." Sparks told him, "This is Sylvester Sneekly, the guy I told you about. He used to help to run Pitstop Shipping, he's a smart guy."

"Oh great!" Snoozy said, smiling as he shook hands with Sylvester, "We _need_ a smart guy around here!"

And Sparks smiled too on hearing him say that.

"We sure do." He agreed, "It's about time someone did the accounts without making mistakes!"

Then Sparks explained some more.

"Sylvester can help you out around here." Sparks told him, "And I want you to remember – _no _booze for him, make sure he doesn't accidentally drink any in the bar, either - he's got epilepsy, he has to take pills for it."

"Okay." Snoozy said, then he looked at the smartly dressed guy who stood next to Sparks and wondered about something.

"Are you _sure _you're okay to work if you're sick?"

"I'm not sick." Sylvester told him, "It's just something I have to take pills for. I'll be okay as long as I'm on my medication."

Snoozy nodded.

"Oh, right...I didn't know."

Then he spoke up again.

"Would you like a coffee? _Can_ you drink coffee, are you _safe_ with that?"

And Sylvester looked at him curiously..._this guy seriously thought he had to avoid coffee too?_

He smiled and shook his head.

"Coffee is just fine, Snoozy – what's your real name?"

Snoozy paused for a second, thinking about the question.

Sparks laughed.

"That gets him every time! He's so used to being called Snoozy he forgets his real name's Mikey!"

And Snoozy smiled.

"Mikey. That's it. But just call me Snoozy, everyone else does. That's been my name since I was fourteen!"

"You go and make that coffee." Sparks said, "You're the one who need it! You need _something _to wake you up! I'll show Sylvester where his room is."

"Okay." Snoozy said, and he went off in the direction of the kitchen.

Sylvester followed Sparks out of the room and they went down the hall where Sparks opened a door that led into the second bedroom.

"All yours." He told him, "And here's your keys."

As he put the keys into his hand Sylvester looked into the bedroom; the walls were light and the carpet was soft and there were mirrored wardrobes along one wall and the bed looked comfortable, too. He noticed the bedside light and the dimmer switch and seeing the little things that had been absent during his time in jail made him want to cry all over again, but he held it back.

"Thank you so much." He said as he looked gratefully at Sparks.

His friend smiled.

"You're more than welcome." He told him, "Now I'm going home. Do you want to get settled in right now or shall I give you a ride into town? I'm guessing you probably need to go and buy some new stuff today."

Sylvester thought about a large house that wasn't far from the middle of town, the place where Penelope used to live and he wondered if she still lived there.

He made his decision; Sparks had told him in the past that it was best to let all of that go when he got out of jail, and Sparks was his closest friend too and he wasn't going to lie to him...

"I want to go into town. _And then I'd like to look up Penelope_."

Sparks gave a weary sigh.

"I know you liked the girl, I know you feel bad about what happened but don't you think it's better to leave it alone? I don't want you to get thrown back in jail because the woman takes one look at you and calls the cops because she's got the wrong idea!"

"I need to do this, Sparks. It's going to be on my mind forever if I don't do it."

Sparks saw the look in his eyes; it was that same look of sadness and regret that Sylvester had in his eyes every time he thought about Penelope Pitstop.

"Okay." He said, "But maybe I should come with you. I could wait in the car."

Sylvester shook his head.

"No Sparks, I'm not taking the easy way out. I want to do this alone. I _need_ to do this. Even if she hates me I have to know I've tried to make amends."

"Okay." Sparks replied, "Let's go. I'll give you a ride, you tell me where you want to get out. And _promise_ me you won't cause trouble!"

Sylvester's eyes widened at the mention of the word _trouble_.

"That's the _last_ thing I want to do!" He exclaimed.

"Okay," Sparks said again, "I believe you. I just hope this doesn't go wrong! If it does go wrong you call me right away, have you got that?"

Sylvester nodded.

"I've got it. And thanks, Sparks."

"Let's go." Sparks replied, leading the way out of the apartment, "I'll give you a ride. I just hope Penelope doesn't freak out when she sees you on her doorstep, but I understand; of _course_ you need to do this."

Then the two men went back down the stairs and left the way they came in, and headed back to the waiting limo.

* * *

Melanie glanced out the window at the lightly falling rain.

"I'd better be heading home now." She remarked.

Penelope glanced at the window too, her friend noticed the way her eyes nervously shifted skywards for a second as she spotted the dark clouds looming in the distance.

"I thought stormy weather only bothered you when you were asleep."

"That's right." Penelope said quickly, putting on a smile and trying to sound like she meant it, "I don't get bothered by the past _every _time it rains! And I'm not likely to fall asleep and have bad dreams in the middle of the day! You go home, Melanie. It's been great to catch up with you. I'll call you soon."

And she kept a smile on her face as she said goodbye and watched Melanie put up her umbrella and walk down the tree lined path that led to her front gate.

She turned back and waved and Penelope waved too, then she was gone and Penelope shut the door just as the clouds grew darker and she heard a vague rumble of thunder in the distance and her smile disappeared.

She gave a heavy sigh; stormy weather would always carry bad memories and those memories seemed to bring the bad dreams closer than ever, but that was something she preferred to keep to herself these days- because back when her parents had been killed and then Sylvester had gone crazy and attacked her, people had started to wonder if she was losing her mind, too.

She didn't think of it that way; was more like bad memories coming back to haunt her, but it was nothing she cared to share with anyone else...

Penelope went back into the kitchen and started to make some coffee.

She paused on hearing thunder and walked over to the window where the rain was turning the glass to water and she looked out at the green garden with its heavy shrubbery and large, overhanging trees. When the sun came out the garden would look great; but right now it looked dark and uninviting just like the rest of the world did.

Penelope switched on the kitchen light.

It was flickering violently and she guessed it was time to replace it. But although it flickered it still worked and while it made the inside looked brighter, it just made the world outside seem even darker.

She tried not to think about it, making the coffee as the rain fell harder, the skies grew darker and her bad dreams weather shifted closer to the house...

* * *

As Spark's limo drove away, Sylvester felt alone again.

He looked up the long road with a low brick wall that ran beside it, behind this wall tall hedgerows were neatly cut and beyond these hedgerows was the garden of the house where Penelope used to live.

He started to walk, not caring that the rain that had been falling lightly was growing heavier; right now he could barely feel the damp and the cold as his mind crowded with thoughts of the past:

_He had attacked her._

_He had gone crazy and scared the life out of the girl._

_How could he apologize for that? _

_What words could he find to ever convey how much he regretted the past?_

To say, _It wasn't my fault_ seemed a weak excuse after the way he had terrified her.

She knew he hadn't been responsible for his own actions at the time, but it still excused nothing, Sylvester felt sure of it.

His heart felt heavy as he reached the tall wrought iron gate that led to a tree shaded path that went all the way up to her front door.

The gate was locked.

That didn't surprise him.

He pressed the buzzer beside it and waited for a reply, still not knowing what to say when a voice - maybe even _her_ voice- answered through the intercom.

Thunder sounded over head and the rain fell harder.

Sylvester shivered and pulled his jacket tighter about himself as he started to feel the chill in the air the rain had brought with it.

_"Hello?"_

His eyes grew wider as he recognized the voice speaking through the intercom – _it was her, it was Penelope!_ He was sure of it; he would know that voice anywhere!

He drew in a breath to say something, anything, the first words that came out of his mouth even if it was random nonsense because he just couldn't think at that moment - but then she spoke again.

"Did you forget something? Its okay, it's open!"

_And the gate clicked as it unlocked._

Sylvester placed his hand on the cold metal gate and pushed it open, stepping inside and feeling like a trespasser as he closed it behind him.

The rain was still falling and he knew his suit was more than damp now; he was soaked to the skin, his hair was wet, the rain was running down his face and he felt so very cold but part of that coldness had only worsened since he had set foot onto the Pitstop premises.

She obviously hadn't been expecting him...maybe she had been expecting someone else, that seem to make sense.

He walked down the path, slowly in the rain, recalling Spark's warning about not causing trouble, about not scaring the girl...

_He didn't want to scare Penelope._

_He never wanted to make her feel like that._

_He just wanted to put things right – or if that wasn't possible, at least try and make amends some how..._

Sylvester reached the doorstep, where he went up a short flight of steps and then stood sheltering and shivering under the porch in his rain soaked clothes.

He took a deep breath and reached out and rang the doorbell.

Then he waited.

The rain was still falling, he was soaked to the skin and shivering - and he was sure the shivering was more than the fact that he had been caught in the rain; he was afraid, the is was a moment he had thought about for many years and now it was happening all he could do was stand there shivering in his wet clothes, waiting for the door to open, waiting for her reaction...

_The door opened._

_She looked at him and he looked back at her._

Penelope was still staring at him.

Her first thought had been one of surprise to see this tall, handsome stranger standing there shivering in his expensive looking suit because he had been caught in the rain.

She carried on staring at him and then she blinked, wondering who he was, wondering why she felt like she knew him from somewhere...

Sylvester looked back at her, taking in the sight of how Penelope had changed over the last fifteen years:

That girl he remembered had long since grown into a woman, a beautiful woman – her pink dress skimmed her thighs and she wore knee length white boots. Her long hair fell in waves about her shoulders and her face, although older had become even more beautiful. Her big brown eyes were fixed on him intently and all he could hear was the sound of the falling rain as he waited for her to speak.

"_Do I know you?" _She said to him.

Sylvester pulled his jacket tighter about himself, trying to feel some kind of warmth but as he did that the rain dripped from his hair and the breeze picked up and it just made him feel even colder.

He nodded.

"Yes...yes, you do. I'm sorry, I wanted to call you first or...or..."

He stopped talking, seeing the confused expression on her face.

"Who are you?" She wondered as she looked at him.

He took in a deep breath and focussed his sky blue eyes on her face.

"It's me Penelope. _It's Sylvester_."

Penelope gripped the door harder as she stared at him in shock..._this _was Sylvester? That shy young guy who had gone crazy so long ago? That guy who had been sick, who had turned into the man of her nightmares because of it?

This was _really _Sylvester?

It couldn't be, he was so..._different_ now? _Attractive?_

That thought surprised her but there was no denying it:

_Sylvester_ _Sneekly had changed dramatically..._

"What...what do you want?" She asked him, trying to fight off the vague sense of panic that ran through her body like a mild current of electricity as she recalled the past and remembered the facts and reminded herself he had been ill at the time - so ill that she had called the hospital because she was worried about him. Even after what he had done, she had cried over this man...

_But he didn't know that._

"Penelope, I was sick when I attacked you! I had a brain tumor, the doctors told me it would have made me do crazy things, stuff I'd have no memory of. That was why it happened. I _never_ wanted to hurt you! I cared about you. I've spent years in jail thinking about what happened, wishing I could do something to make amends!"

The rain was still falling and Sylvester's hair was dripping wet and as the rain ran onto his face she knew he was crying too, because the rain was mixing with his tears as he blinked reddened eyes as he tried to speak again.

"I am so sorry! I just wanted to tell you that...I've got a place to live, I'm above the Moonlight Bar, it's not far from here. And I've got a job and I'm trying to get my life back together but..."

He gave a sob.

_"I'm sorry, can you understand that?"_

Penelope looked into his eyes.

She wanted to speak again, she wanted to put her arms around him and hold him and tell him she understood but this was so sudden, so unexpected...

"Can I come in and talk to you? Is that okay?"

The door was closing.

"_Penelope, NO!"_ He said sharply, reaching out and placing his hand on the door, trying to push it open.

"_Go away!"_ She yelled, giving the door another shove.

It slammed hard; it slammed shut in his face.

Sylvester knocked against the wood.

"_Please_ will you just talk to me?" He called out, "I don't want to hurt you, I _never_ want to do that! I just want to say sorry, I want to explain!"

But the only sound he heard in reply was the rain falling harder.

He leaned down and looked through the letterbox.

Penelope was standing in the hallway and she stared at him with frightened eyes.

"_I'll phone the police if you don't leave me alone!"_ She called out, and he noticed her voice sounded tearful now.

"I'm sorry, that's all I wanted to say..."

He let closed the letterbox and stood up again, turning his back to the closed door.

As he walked back up the path he remembered Sparks had warned him not to upset the girl, not to cause trouble and with a heavy heart he guessed he was right; Penelope would _never_ speak to him again...

Sylvester began to walk in the rain, back up the path that led to the gate.

He got halfway and he looked back, chilled to the bone in his wet clothes but now it seemed like that really didn't matter; he wanted to go back to the apartment and cry because of regrets that he could never put right.

_Then he saw a lace curtain shift._

Penelope was standing at the window.

As she looked at him he shook his head.

"I'm sorry." He said again.

She was still looking at him and he couldn't read the expression in her eyes.

He stood there looking back at her, then as she stepped away from the curtain he put his hands briefly to his eyes to wipe away rain and tears.

Then as he looked up he blinked in surprise; the front door had opened again.

Penelopesaw him standing there in the rain and she blinked away tears as her eyes filled with understanding and regrets of her own.

"_I'm sorry too."_ She called out_,"Come here, Sylvester."_

His heart skipped a beat as he walked back towards the porch.

By now he wasn't sure if he was shivering because of the rain or if it was the thought that she was willing to listen to him all of a sudden, but as he walked back up the steps and looked into her eyes again he found it hard to hold back his tears.

"I didn't mean to scare you- back then or today. I just wanted to see you to say sorry."

"_I'm sorry too."_

He looked at her in surprise.

"What for?"

Penelope blinked away more tears. Sylvester had certainly changed, so much that she hadn't recognized him at first – but just as he was apologizing to her, she had some explaining to do too...

"I should have helped you," She told him, "When your lawyer told me there was a reason for what you did. He told me you were sick at the time, that you had no choice in your actions. I _should _have talked to the court. But I didn't because I was scared, I was angry..."

She looked into his eyes.

"I'm not now, not any more!"

Then she noticed he was shivering in his wet clothes as rain dripped from his hair.

She opened the door a little wider and stepped back.

"_Come in."_ She said quietly, and Sylvester stepped inside.

* * *

As he sat on the sofa in her big front room with the fire glowing and pictures of her family around the walls, memories of the past came flooding back to him.

"I'm _not_ excusing what I did. But I don't remember it. I can't believe I would have done something like that to you. The cops even tried to pin the blame on me for your parent's murders!"

Penelope handed him a towel and he started to dry his hair.

She sat down on the other end of the sofa and looked at him.

"I know they did, but they had the killer's DNA and that's when they knew for sure it wasn't you."

He stopped rubbing his hair and looked into her eyes.

"Did _you _think it was me?"

Sadness clouded Penelope's dark eyes.

"No, I don't _think_ so –it was a confusing time. But I know it made sense when I found out there was a reason for you attacking me - I knew there was something wrong with you before you did it, I just didn't know it was so serious."

"Did they ever catch the guy who shot your parents?"

Penelope shook her head.

"He's still out there somewhere. I don't think I'll ever feel safe again until he's caught."

"Well you won't have worry about _me_ doing anything insane again –I'm cured now."

Sylvester gave his hair another rub with the towel and then ran his fingers through his hair. It was still damp and as he pushed it back she saw a brief glimpse of a large heavy scar that ran across the top of his head.

Penelope got up and took the damp towel.

"Take your jacket off, I'll get it dry for you."

"You don't have to do that for me."

She smiled at him and seeing her do that eased the pain in his heart.

"Give me your jacket, Sylvester." She said again, "I can't let you go home like that, you'll catch your death!"

Sylvester slipped off his jacket and handed it to her, pausing to take out a bottle of pills that he placed on the table in front of him.

"What are those for?" Penelope wondered as she took his jacket.

He indicated to the scar beneath his hair.

"The surgery left me with some scarring. I still get mild seizures. I'm usually okay on the medication, as long as I don't drink alcohol, or get too stressed out about things."

Penelope thought about the way she had slammed the door in his face.

"I guess you must have felt pretty stressed out just now."

He shrugged.

"It's been a difficult day in a lot of ways. I got out of prison today. I got my new apartment, my new job – but I couldn't get on with anything until I tried to see you because I _had_ to explain."

Penelope smiled.

"I understand that. And I needed to explain too." Her smile faded. "I think we _both_ have a lot of regrets."

Then she took his jacket and the wet towel and left the room.

Sylvester looked around the room at the pictures on the wall and blinked a few times as his vision blurred and then came back into focus.

He took a deep breath and got up, leaning on the sofa as the room seemed to turn slightly. He thought about opening the pill bottle but changed his mind; he couldn't take those things without water...

"Penelope?" He called out, "Could I have a glass of water?"

"Sure." She called back.

Sylvester remembered the layout of the house because he had been close to the Pitstop's when Penelope's father had been alive. He knew it was just a short walk from the front room down the hall but as he left the room and started to walk towards the kitchen that hall felt long and far too narrow. He guessed the strain of everything he had to deal with today had got to him and at times like this he really was better off taking another dose of his meds.

He walked into the kitchen. The storm clouds outside made the room look cast in shadow so he snapped the light on.

_And the faulty light flickered like a strobe_.

* * *

Penelope had just put the damp towel over a heated rail, then she put his coat over another part of the towel rail. As his pocket knocked hard and heavy against the wall, she took out his cell phone and decided to give it to him. She paused to wipe a splash of rain off the screen and then left the bathroom.

She saw the light on in the kitchen and began to walk down the hall.

"Sylvester," She said, "Your phone got a little bit wet. I think it's okay but you might want to check it -"

Then she stopped in the doorway, staring in alarm.

"_Sylvester?"_ She said anxiously, but he gave no reply.

He was on the kitchen floor, his eyes were closed and he was lying on his side as his body trembled.

Penelope looked up at the flickering light and worked it out.

She quickly turned the light off and dropped to her knees beside him.

"Oh no, what do I do?" She said aloud, feeing helpless as he trembled all over.

Then he stopped shaking and he breathed deeply, as if asleep.

Penelope reached out and gently stroked his hair. It was still damp from the rain and as she touched him he turned his head and started to wake.

"_I can do it, Sparks..."_ He murmured, _"I can squeeze your hand...I can do this..."_

As the fingers of his left hand moved Penelope took hold of his hand and Sylvester's grip tightened slightly.

He gave a weary sigh.

"_I want to get out of here...I want to see Penelope..."_

Then as he became aware of his surroundings, opening his eyes and looking around the dim kitchen, he remembered where he was. He remembered _everything_ and he wasn't sure what he had just said but Penelope was sitting beside him now and as she looked down at him she had softness about her eyes.

_"I'm right here, Sylvester."_

He gave a sigh.

"Oh not again... did I have a seizure? I know the light was going crazy..."

He sounded as if he had just woken up from a heavy sleep.

"Oh no!" She exclaimed, "I'm so sorry, I didn't think to warn you!"

He sat up slowly, thankful nothing was bleeding, bruised or broken and then he managed a smile as he noticed Penelope was holding his hand. He let go of her and wished he hadn't pulled away because her touch was so gentle and warm.

"I'll be fine." He promised her, "And don't worry about the light – it's not your fault, you didn't know."

He was still a little unsteady as he stood up and Penelope put her arm around him as they left the kitchen.

"I'll be fine, my dear." He promised her, "You don't have to make all this fuss over me."

"Yes I do." She told him, and they went back into the front room and she sat him down on the sofa, then gently pushed him back onto the couch and raised his legs too.

"I don't _need_ to lie down –"

"I think you do." Penelope told him, "You just wait there, _don't_ move! I'll fetch you a glass of water and you can take your pills."

Then she left the room again and Sylvester gave a sigh, deciding there was no point in telling Penelope not to make a fuss again, because it seemed she was determined to take care of him...

* * *

Penelope came back into the room and set the glass of water down on the table.

Then the doorbell chimed.

"Who could _that_ be?" She wondered.

Sylvester said nothing as he swallowed his medication.

Penelope walked up the hall, her high heeled boots clicking on the polished floor as she approached the front door.

As she opened it her eyes grew wide.

Clyde was standing there with a bouquet of flowers in his hand.

"Hi babe." He said, "I just found out, I can't see you tomorrow. I've got a lot of business to attend to. So I thought I'd stop by-"

Then he noticed the way her dark eyes had grown wider as she looked back at him in alarm.

"Is something wrong?"

Penelope's mind began to race as she wondered how to explain the situation..._Clyde knew all about the past, she had told him about what Sylvester had done all those years ago. How would he take the news that at this moment that same man was laid up on her sofa?_

Penelope took a deep breath.

"I just need to explain something, Clyde..." She began hoping he would understand, because Clyde was a possessive guy and what had started out as a relationship that made her feel safe had turned into something that she found quite stifling these days...

"Explain _what?_" He demanded as his smiled vanished.

Penelope looked back at him with even wider eyes.

_"It's a little complicated to explain..." _She said, hoping he wasn't about to come in and start a fight, because right now he had that kind of look about his eyes and Penelope was feeling nervous, wondering how to explain this situation without Clyde getting mad over it and causing trouble - because that was the last thing she wanted, and it was the _very_ last thing Sylvester needed right now, too...


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Clyde stood there looking hard at Penelope.

"What's going on?" He said, and this time his voice was edged with anger.

"Why do you do this to me?" Penelope demanded, "Why do you _always_ give me that look when something happens and you're the last one to know?"

"Because I care about you!" He said sharply, "_Okay?_ Does _that _make you happy? So what's the big secret around here?"

Penelope gave a sigh.

"_Sylvester's here."_

His eyes widened and his hand screwed into a fist.

"_No! Not that freak... not Sneekly-"_

Penelope stepped forward, her hand closed over his fist as she explained everything:

"He's _nothing_ like the man he used to be! He came here because he wanted to say sorry to me."

"_Sorry?_ That lunatic almost _killed_ you once!"

"He is _not_ a lunatic!" She said, lowering her voice, "He was _sick,_ Clyde! He was sick and now he's better and he wants us to be friends. I don't see a problem with that considering I should have helped him get out of jail a long time ago! We _both_ know he wasn't responsible for his actions!"

Clyde relaxed his hand and nodded, reluctantly agreeing with this woman who he had worked so hard to get together with –_Penelope figured in his plans, at least, her money did – and he knew she would never agree to marry him if he started letting her see what he was really like - and then the shipping business and her fortune would never be his..._

Clyde forced a smile.

"Well as you put it that way babe, I see your point of view."

Penelope smiled and her eyes lit up.

"Oh Clyde!" She exclaimed, "You are _so_ kind and sweet! I knew you'd understand once I explained! Come in and meet him!"

And she stepped aside and Clyde entered the house.

As Penelope led the way up the hall, Clyde followed, his face darkening into a scowl behind her back as she wiggled her way towards the front room in a tight dress and those white high heeled boots that she was so fond of wearing. Clyde had always thought she made such an effort to look sexy or him, but after a while he had realized Penelope always dressed like this – and while she looked hot he had to admit he was a lucky guy to have a girl like her – _but the thought of her dressed like this with Sneekly in the house, crazy Sneekly who should still be in jail...he felt as if his blood was boiling over._

Then Penelope went into the front room and he followed her in.

"Sylvester," She said sweetly, "This is my fiancée Clyde McDonald."

He had been lying back on the sofa and as he looked at Clyde and saw his expression he sat up sharply.

"Don't get up!" Penelope said at once, placing her hands on his shoulders and easing him back down again.

Sylvester had caught the look in Clyde's eyes – a look that was far from friendly. And he didn't seem to be too fond of Penelope right now, either...

Penelope's hands were still on his shoulders and Sylvester couldn't move. Instead he had to lay there and watch the conversation that took place between the two people who stood over him:

"He mustn't get up," Penelope said, "He's just had a seizure. He's okay now, he took his medication - it was the light in the kitchen, it was flickering terribly – that's what made him have a fit. Could you fix it for me, honey?"

Clyde seemed tense but he nodded.

"Sure," He said reluctantly, "I got a spare tube a while back. It's in the garage; I'll go and get it."

And he turned and walked from the room.

Penelope watched him leave and her face lit up in a radiant smile.

"He's the kindest, sweetest guy!" She exclaimed, "He's only just got here and look what he's doing – he's fixing the light for me and he's doing it right now this minute! He didn't have to do that...he's _so_ kind!"

Sylvester looked at her doubtfully, but Penelope had missed the look on his face as her thoughts filled with Clyde and his devotion to her.

_"Maybe I should go."_

Sylvester sat up quickly, before Penelope could make him lie down again.

"Don't leave!" She exclaimed, "We've only just..."

And then she stopped, surprised at what she was about to say. She sat down on the sofa beside him.

"Only just what?"

She frowned, still trying to understand her own thoughts that had come to her so fast.

"We've only just..._found each other again_." She said quietly.

And as she looked at him he blinked, feeling surprised at the depth of emotion he saw in her eyes. It was fleeting but he couldn't fail to spot it - and seeing that glimmer of something deeper than friendship, no matter how brief it had been, had made his heart miss a beat.

"No, I really think I should go."

Sylvester got up.

_So did Penelope._

"I really don't want you going any where!"

She gripped his arm.

Her brown eyes were wide with concern and he wanted to hug her but he held it back.

"I'll be absolutely fine now - I've taken the meds, I just need to go home and rest."

"You can rest here."

He smiled on hearing that remark; he had tried so hard to get in here to speak to her and now it seemed as if she didn't want to let him go...

"Penelope, I _have_ to go. I need to go back to my new apartment; I have some things to do. You know where I live, why don't you come over tomorrow? The bar doesn't open until the evening so maybe you could come over and we could have coffee or something. You could meet my room mate; he seems like a nice guy."

Penelope smiled.

"Oh Sylvester I'd love to!" She exclaimed.

Then she hugged him.

That hug was unexpected and so was the flood of emotion that washed over him as he put his arms around her and returned her embrace. She lingered, holding him tightly, but he stepped back again and checked his watch.

"I really should get going now."

Penelope looked at him pleadingly.

He smiled apologetically.

"I have things to do, I've only just moved in to my new place."

"Okay, I'll get your jacket."

Penelope left the room and Sylvester picked up his pills and walked out to the hall and waited.

As Penelope joined him again, she still had a worried look in her eyes.

"Are you sure you'll be okay? How about I give you a ride home?"

Sylvester put his jacket on and shook his head.

"No, I'll be just fine."

He headed for the door.

"Wait!" She called out hurrying to catch up with him.

He opened the floor, saw it was still raining and looked back at her.

"Take this." She said, handing him her pink, lace edged umbrella, "I can pick it up again when I see you tomorrow. I'll come over about eleven, would that be a good time?"

Sylvester smiled.

"I'm looking forward to it already." He said warmly.

The he stepped out onto the porch and opened the umbrella.

Penelope stood at the door and watched him walk down the path.

As he reached the gate he looked back and she smiled, then he was out of the gate and out of light and Penelope closed the door.

* * *

_"I put the new light in the kitchen."_

She turned around sharply, catching her breath as she saw Clyde standing behind her.

"_You made me jump!"_ She exclaimed.

For a brief, confusing moment she thought his eyes seemed different almost as if he was... _angry_ with her?

But that look soon vanished and he smiled.

"Sounds like you and Sylvester have a lot of catching up to do. What did you say about seeing him tomorrow?"

"I'm going over to his apartment." She replied, "We didn't have much of a chance to talk today - not properly, not with him being ill like he was. Why don't you come with me tomorrow? You could get to know him."

Clyde shook his head, looking back at her with softness in his eyes that hid his real feelings on the matter:

_As far as he was concerned, freaky Sneekly had to go. It was clear Penelope liked the guy and he couldn't let that get any further or his chances of marrying her and getting his hands on her money would be absolutely zero._

_He didn't know what he was going to do about Sneekly yet, but he was sure he would come up with something..._

"I can't, I told you before, I'm busy tomorrow. Maybe you could see him some other time."

"No, I want to see him tomorrow." Penelope replied, then she smiled and he saw a sparkle in her eyes that made him sure about the fact that Sneekly _definitely_ had to go.

"I've regretted so much over the years." She said to him," And now I'm glad I've met him again. I can see now that he was telling the truth – he was sick back then, he didn't know what he was doing. But that's all over now, he's changed and I'm happy for him that his life's working out. _I want to be around for him, Clyde_."

Clyde took in a deep breath, knowing he had to handle this carefully.

"Penelope, I don't want you to –"

His cell phone rang. He pulled it from his pocket, recognized the number and glanced at her briefly.

"This is urgent. I've been waiting for this call. I'll take it outside. I have to go."

He gave her a brief kiss and then walked off down the hall, answering the phone in a low voice as he went out side and closed the front door behind him.

Moments later his car roared into life and he took off at speed.

Penelope stood alone in the hallway, still thinking about Clyde.

"_Why does he always take his calls alone?"_ She wondered aloud, then she shrugged, went back into the kitchen and made some coffee.

The storm clouds were still dark overhead but the light was fixed now and as she made the coffee she smiled as her thoughts moved onto brighter subjects:

_Sylvester...she was seeing him again tomorrow..._

* * *

After walking back to his apartment, Sylvester closed the umbrella, gave it a shake to lose the raindrops and took out his new set of keys and went into the bar.

Then he went up the stairs to the apartment and unlocked the door.

Snoozy was on the sofa with the TV on, there was also a stack of untouched paperwork on the table and he was looking as if he was thinking about dozing off for a while, but he soon woke up and became alert on seeing Sylvester.

"Hey, welcome back! Did you want to get started on some of this paperwork?"

And then he frowned.

"It's got a bit out of hand...I keep putting the hard stuff back to bottom of the pile and it's _really _stacked up lately!"

"I'll start on the paperwork tomorrow." Sylvester told him, "I just went to see an old friend and while I was there something happened. I guess it's just the strain of getting out of jail today – but there was a flickering light in her kitchen and it gave me a slight seizure."

Snoozy abandoned the paperwork and got up, going over to him with a look of concern in his eyes.

"Maybe you should lie down or something."

Sylvester found he had to agree; he knew he needed to rest, but he hadn't wanted to worry Penelope by telling her that.

"I was supposed to be buying some new stuff today, just to help me get settled in - but I think I'll have to leave it until tomorrow."

Snoozy smiled.

"How about if I help you out? You give me some money and I'll go and get you some shopping while you take it easy?"

"Sounds good to me."

He counted off a few notes from the wad of cash Sparks had given him and handed it to Snoozy.

"I'll go and do it right now!" He said, "You just take it easy, Sylvester!"

Then he grabbed his coat and he was gone out the door before Sylvester had a chance to even tell him what he needed to buy.

He gave a weary sigh and went through to his bedroom, then he sat down heavily on the bed and slipped off his jacket.

As he lay back on the soft pillows he smiled, realizing Penelope's closed umbrella was still in his hand.

He looked at it fondly, everything about it reminded him of her; it was pink, it was edged with lace and even the white handle reminded him of her high heeled boots...

Then he playfully wrapped his arm around the umbrella and lay there for a moment, imagining Penelope was by his side.

"_I think you're so beautiful."_ He said quietly, imagining her there beside him, and then he leaned a little closer and gave the umbrella an affectionate kiss.

And then Sylvester laughed, shaking his head as he wondered what had possessed him to do a crazy thing like that. Then he tuned on his back and closed his eyes, drifting into a comfortable sleep with Penelope Pitstop's pink umbrella beside him.

* * *

The door closed loudly and shook Sylvester out of a restful sleep.

He turned on his side and glanced at the clock; he had slept for almost three hours.

Penelope's umbrella was still on the pillow beside him and he left it there and got up feeling a lot better for sleeping on such a comfortable bed after all the years he had spent living in a prison cell.

"I'm back!" Snoozy called out.

"I'm in here!" Sylvester called back to him.

Moments later Snoozy came through the doorway carrying several heavy bags that he dumped onto the bed.

"There you go," He said, smiling at Sylvester, "I got you everything you need!"

Sylvester looked doubtfully at the shopping. He had needed to get some clothes mainly, but it seemed like Snoozy had _other_ ideas...

"What did you get for me?" He asked him.

Snoozy opened up a bag and pulled out several top shelf porn magazines.

"You've been in jail a long time- and _every_ guy wants these under his bed, right?"

Sylvester just stared at him, feeling at a loss for words.

"And I got you some chocolate bars, and some of those cool wall stickers with moons and stars on them. You can stick them on the wall and watch them glow in the dark! I got myself some too – I hope you don't mind..."

He rifled through the second bag.

"And I bought you some drinks –no alcohol, just some lemonade - and I got you some ice cream, the kind with strawberry swirls in it!"

Then he handed him the rest of the money back.

"And look, you've got _lots_ of change left over!"

Snoozy saw the look on his face and his smile faded.

"I got the wrong things?" He wondered.

Sylvester smiled kindly.

"You tried your best. Did you get me any toiletries? I need deodorant and bubble bath and shampoo."

"You'll have to use mine for now." Snoozy said, "Sorry about that...next time maybe you should give me a list then I'll know _exactly_ what to get."

"There's no need." He promised him, "I'll do my own shopping tomorrow after Penelope's been over to see me."

"Penelope? Is she your girlfriend?"

On hearing those words Sylvester smiled; _If only she was his girlfriend, that was definitely something to dream about and a far more exciting thought than anything those top shelf magazines could ever do for him..._

"She's an old friend of mine." He told him, "And it's really important that I see her again. We've got a lot to talk about."

Snoozy was still smiling.

"So she IS your girlfriend!"

Sylvester laughed.

"No, she's my friend. She's my friend and I'm very fond of her. She's got a boyfriend..."

As he carried on talking, Snoozy was busy trying to open the packaging to get to the glow in the dark stars.

"So she's not single then?" He said, still trying to open the packaging.

"No, she's with this guy, I don't know what it is about him but I don't like him. Clyde someone..." He thought about it and remembered the name.

"_Clyde McDonald."_

The packaging split and the stickers spilled out onto the carpet.

"_Oh shit sorry..."_ Snoozy's voice sounded edged with panic all of a sudden.

"It's okay, don't get worked up."

Snoozy dropped to his knees and began to pick up the stickers with shaking hands.

His eyes had widened at the thought of Clyde:

_He knew him._

_He remembered him from the old days._

_He could never forget being pinned up against the wall down a dark alley while Clyde held a knife up to his face._

"_If you tell anyone what I did I'll kill you!" He had promised him..._

_This was Clyde McDonald, former leader of the Anthill Mob, back in the days when the gang had all been teenagers and Clyde, their leader, had been the youngest of all of them - sixteen years old and with blood on his hands already... Clyde, the guy who had boasted about killing two people and robbing their house to get money to start up his drugs business..._

"_So," Clyde had said as he put the knife away but kept a firm grip on Snoozy's collar as he pinned him to the wall, "Are you in? I need people under me. I trust you."_

_Snoozy had shaken his head._

"_No, no way –not drugs. I won't do it..."_

Sylvester noticed Snoozy was shaking as he got up from the floor.

"Are you okay?"

"Fine. I...I just remembered I've got some stuff to be getting on with – I'd better go downstairs, I have to open the bar soon."

Then he hurried from the room, closing the door behind him.

Sylvester stared after him, wondering what had caused such a sudden change in Snoozy's mood.

Then he noticed the ice cream was melting, the top wasn't on the tub properly and ice cream was dripping onto the floor – _had Snoozy been eating it on the way home?_

He gave a sigh and went through to the kitchen to find something to clean up the mess with.

* * *

Morning came with bright sunshine blazing through Penelope's bedroom window, she got up, headed for the shower, then after the shower she wrapped herself in a pink towel and sat at her dressing table and turned on her pink hairdryer.

When the hairdryer was finally turned off she flicked her hairbrush through her long blonde hair and then started to put on her make up.

All the while she got ready she had a smile on her face as she thought about Sylvester; the past didn't matter any more – it had all been put in its place.

What mattered was right here and now, what mattered was the future...

Penelope was putting on her lipstick.

_The kiss proof one..._

She put the lipstick back down on the table and looked into the mirror.

"Now don't go getting _those_ kinds of thoughts!" She told her reflection, "He's just a friend. And _you_ have Clyde to think of."

Then as doubts flickered in her mind they reflected in her eyes:

_Did she really love Clyde?_

_He said he loved her._

_She wanted to love him._

_She wanted to have a great romance, so why not with Clyde?_

She gave a sigh, thinking about the things she usually pushed far from her thoughts:

_Every time he asked to move in, she said no._

_Every time he asked to marry her she told him she wanted to wait._

There had been times when she had been lying here in this room wrapped in his arms and he had been making love to her yet not making love - because it felt as if something was missing and if that feeling was constant, was this _really_ love?

_She didn't want to think about Clyde any more._

Penelope stood up, smiling as she brushed her hands down her pink silk underwear. Her bra and panties were all lace and silk and she was sure she looked great like this- she had been champion of many sports back in her college days and she had kept that shapely toned body...

Her eyes grew wider as she turned from the mirror.

_Why had she just thought something like that?_

Why had she just thought as if...as if what?

_As if Sylvester was going to see her in her underwear?_

She shook her head and opened the closet, thoughtfully running her hand along an array of dresses, most them some kind of shade of pink.

As she glanced at the clock on the bedroom wall she giggled as another thought came to mind:

She would be late to go and meet him if she took too long...

_Why_ was she making such a fuss about her appearance today?

Then she took out a pale pink dress and held it up, noticing this one was short and light and slipped on – _and_ off easily...

_"Stop it!"_ She said aloud, taking the dress from the hanger and slipping it on, "You just want to look nice, that's all – you're _not_ thinking about giving him..._easy access!_"

Penelope wondered about shoes but then decided on her favourite white boots again.

When she was finally ready she grabbed her purse and her car keys, took a final look in the mirror, decided she looked good and then she left the house.

As she walked over to her car she was thinking of Sylvester and thinking of him made her smile.

_"Behave yourself Penelope!"_ She said under her breath as she got into her car and started the engine.

Then she drove away at speed, because even though she felt that she ought to behave herself around Sylvester, she still couldn't wait to see him again...

* * *

When Penelope reached the bar, the entrance was locked.

She looked through the window and saw someone moving around inside, polishing tables.

Then the door opened.

_It wasn't Sylvester._

Penelope found herself looking at a tall guy around her own age who she had never seen before in her life.

But he smiled at her as if he had known her forever.

"Hi!" He said warmly, "You must be Penelope!"

"How did you know that?" She wondered.

"Sylvester described you...blonde, white boots, likes pink..._pretty_..."

A flicker of surprise registered in her eyes:

_Sylvester thought she was pretty?_

"Is he around?" She wondered.

"Yeah, he's upstairs in the apartment. You just go out that door and down the hall and-"

He paused, getting lost with his own directions.

"No, I'll _show _you the way."

He led her from the bar out into a corridor, they walked to the end of it and then he led her up a flight of stairs. When they got to the top he passed an open door that led to an office and he went on to the door at the end of the hall and opened it.

"This is the apartment." He told her, "You're a bit early...he's probably in his room...just go straight up the hall, it's the door right at the end."

She smiled.

"Thanks..." Then she paused.

"What's your name?"

"Everyone calls me Snoozy." He replied, "So you can call me Snoozy too."

She laughed.

"That's a strange name –but I'm not likely to forget it!"

Then she walked off down the hall.

Penelope knocked on the door.

"Yeah, it's open!" Sylvester called out.

Penelope walked in.

She looked at him in surprise.

He looked back at her and snatched up a spare shirt he had borrowed from Snoozy.

"I didn't know it was you...you're early."

And he looked away as he quickly slipped the shirt on, covering the tattoos that were etched on his toned arms.

"No – _show me_." She said, looking at him in fascination as he pulled his shirt together and made a move to button it up.

He laughed nervously and felt heat spreading through his face.

"You don't want to see my tattoos, Penelope- it's just something I got in prison."

Penelope sat down on his bed.

"I _want _to see."

Sylvester reluctantly opened his shirt again and striped it off.

He sat down beside her and indicated to the crucifix on his upper arm and the writing beneath it.

"This is the first one I had – it says _Only God can judge me._ I saw a couple of other guys with a similar tattoo and I decided to have one, because I know I was guilty in the eyes of the law but I knew I didn't willingly make the choice to do what I did, even if the judge didn't see it that way. That's why I had that tattoo."

"I like that one." She said, reaching over and briefly touching his other arm.

He glanced down at the entwined hearts carried by doves and the scrolled words _Mom_ and _Dad._

"I had that one for my late parents." He told her.

"How come you're allowed to get a tattoo in prison?" She wondered.

Sylvester looked at her in surprise; Penelope didn't know much at all about the world he had lived in behind bars...

"Well it's _not _legal." He told her, "And it wasn't like going to a professional and getting it done – I had to keep going back for hours at a time to get the work finished. The guy who tattooed me made his tattoo pistol from radio parts and wire brush bristles. And being a tattooist in jail is a risky business- its called slinging ink and any guy who gets caught doing that gets fifteen days in solitary confinement. Let me show you something else, Penelope - this _will _surprise you!"."

Penelope gave a gasp.

"_Oh my goodness!"_ She exclaimed, _"That IS a big one!"_

And outside the door, Snoozy, who had been about to knock and ask if they wanted a coffee, froze on the spot as his eyes grew wider...

He heard Sylvester laugh softly.

"_It's not the first time I've had that said to me. Must people like it when I show it to them, they usually think it's quite impressive."_

"_It certainly is!"_ She exclaimed, _"Can I touch it?"_

"_If you want to."_ He replied.

There was a pause.

"_It's so big!"_ Penelope said again_, "And beautiful! I've never seen one quite like it before; I just can't take my eyes off it!"_

And behind the door, Snoozy put his hand to his mouth to stifle his laughter...Sylvester certainly wasn't wasting any time now he was out of jail... Then Snoozy remembered who Penelope's boyfriend was and his smile faded... she was McDonald's girl? She was the _last_ person Sylvester needed to get tangled up with...

The he heard Penelope speak again.

"_I'm glad you showed it to me. What does Snoozy think of it?"_

"Me?" He whispered in confusion as he stared at the closed door wishing he could see through it, "Why would _I_ want to see it?"

"_He hasn't seen it yet._" Sylvester replied_, "But I'll show it to him eventually. I'm sure he'll like it."_

"_What?"_ Snoozy exclaimed under his breath.

Then as he stepped away from the door a floorboard creaked loudly and Snoozy stumbled forward, in a hurry to silence the board but a stepped too far and slammed into the door with a thump.

"What was that?" Penelope wondered.

Sylvester opened the door.

Snoozy smiled sheepishly.

"I didn't want to interrupt..._was_ I interrupting something?"

"No." Sylvester replied, seeing the look on his face and putting two and two together – he was standing there minus his shirt and Penelope was sitting on the bed and clearly by the look in his eyes, Snoozy had got the wrong idea.

He laughed and felt his face flush again.

"I was just showing Penelope my tiger."

"Your what?"

_"My tiger."_

Sylvester turned around and Snoozy stared at the detailed, deeply colourful picture inked into his skin of a large tiger that looked as if it were leaping out of his back.

As he finally understood what the conversation had been about, he started to smile.

"That's a big tattoo!" He remarked, noticing the way it covered most of his upper back.

Sylvester grabbed his shirt and put it on, leaving it unbuttoned.

"What did you want?" He wondered.

"I just wondered if you both wanted a coffee." Snoozy said.

Sylvester glanced at Penelope who shook her head.

"No thanks, were just fine." He replied.

Snoozy smiled.

"Then I'll go back downstairs. I've got a lot to do. I won't disturb you again; I can see you've got a lot to talk about."

Then he left the room and closed the door firmly.

* * *

As she heard him walk back down the hall towards the stairs, Penelope giggled.

"Did he think we were..."

Sylvester smiled and knew he was blushing yet again.

"I do believe he _did_ think something along those lines!"

He sat down on the bed once more and his smile faded as he thought about is time in prison.

"Sparks paid for my tattoos. He knew I wanted to get some so he helped me out. He helped me out in a _lot_ of ways."

Penelope sat in silence as she noticed the change in his mood and he carried on talking quietly.

"He hated me at first. He thought I was a sex offender when he heard about what I'd done, trying to abduct a teenage girl...I told him I couldn't remember anything about it, I kept telling him that to stop him from killing me – I don't think he was too convinced until I collapsed and that's when he heard about the tumor. He found out I was sick and it had made me do crazy things. _Then he came to see me in the hospital_."

Sylvester blinked several times, determined not to weep over a past he had already shed too many tears over.

"I was just about ready to give up on life. I woke up from the surgery to find out I'd lost the use of my arm and then I just wished I'd died from the damned thing instead of surviving it. All I could see was the rest of my life living like that, crippled and stuck behind bars. "

As he talked, he looked down at the floor.

He knew Penelope was listening, he knew all he had to do was look at her and her arms would be around him – but he wanted to explain everything, no matter how difficult it was to talk about.

"Sparks got me back on my feet. He got me working out in the gym to get the use of my arm back. He even helped me to find a lawyer who could use the medical evidence to get my sentance reduced. He's been a good friend to me. He helped me because I'm the same age as his son. His son died after a car accident. _That's the only reason I'm here today, Penelope –because of Sparks._"

And he looked at her.

Penelope was sitting there with tears in her eyes.

"I should have _helped_ you!" She said as she gave a sob, _"I could have talked to the court. I'm sorry I turned my back –"_

_"No."_

He put his arms around her and pulled her into a tight embrace, realizing as he held her that he hadn't _thought_ about reaching for her, it had been instinct; he never wanted that beautiful woman to shed a single tear over him...

_"But I wish I'd done something to help you!"_

He was still holding her.

_"Don't cry, Penelope. It's the past, it's gone."_

And he pulled back a little, placing a gentle hand on her arm to steady her while he pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped her eyes.

"I don't want to make you cry." He said softly as he started to smile, "I want us to get along and be happy with it. I think we can do that."

Penelope blinked back tears and managed to return his smile.

" I like the sound of that."

Then she looked into his eyes.

"Sylvester?"

"What, Penelope?"

She leaned closer and kissed his cheek.

As she pulled back again and looked into his eyes he felt more than a little confused.

"What was that for?" He said nervously, feeling sure he must have missed something somewhere:

_Penelope had just kissed him?_

She sat a little closer and reached up, first studying his face intently and the running her hand over his hair.

"I'm so glad you made it." She said softly, "I never stopped caring about you. I cried over you when I heard you were sick. I prayed for you. I couldn't tell anyone because I thought they wouldn't understand how I could care after what you did, but I knew by then it wasn't your fault... all I knew for sure was, I just wanted you to be okay."

She was gently stroking his cheek as she leaned closer. Sylvester leaned in too, feeling nervous and unsure and as their lips touched he held her gently, she clung to him even though he felt clumsy and definitely out of practise.

Their kiss grew deeper and he pulled away again.

"Slow down!" He said breathlessly, "It's been a long time since I've been close to a woman! I'm not sure if I'm ready to..."

Penelope smiled and kissed him again and then let go.

"Maybe I was planning to kiss you all the long." She admitted, "I don't know. I tried not to because I'm with Clyde, but I can't help it - I just know I needed to be close to you."

_"I know."_ He said quietly, feeling sure there was nothing he could add to that statement because it echoed his own sentiments completely.

They looked at each other.

Penelope felt an ache in her heart as their eyes met.

Sylvester felt the same ache and it went all the way to his arms because he was no longer holding her and he felt empty without her.

"It was just a kiss." He said quietly," A wonderful kiss, but all the same harmless, _just_ a kiss..."

Penelope leaned closer.

"Then maybe I should give you another one." She whispered to him.

Sylvester looked at her.

"I'm not sure we should be doing this."

Penelope's smile faded.

"I guess you're right."

She got up and so did Sylvester.

"Maybe we should talk another time." Penelope suggested, "When we've both got used to the idea that you're out of jail and things have changed."

And she smiled.

"Sounds good to me." He agreed.

They reached the door together and Sylvester stepped behind her to open it.

Penelope turned and looked back at him.

Their eyes met once more and suddenly his thoughts were a thousand miles from opening that door and watching her walk away.

"I guess one more kiss wouldn't hurt...a _little_ kiss goodbye..."

Penelope looked into his eyes as she felt a flutter of excitement as she moved closer to him- she was sure this was _not _just a kiss – _and she was sure there was every chance she would not be walking out of this door any time soon, either..._

"_Just a kiss."_ She whispered and he gently slid his arms around her.

"Sure, that's all it is..."

Their lips touched and he held her tighter, they were kissing hard and deep and neither of them wanted to be the first to make the break and pull away again:

_This was not just a kiss._

_This was the start of something much deeper and they both knew it..._


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

_He had her in his arms._

Sylvester kissed her some more, as he held her he shifted closer to the bed, knowing right now nothing made sense but being on that soft matress with Penelope, holding her, touching her, feeling the heat of her body warm next to his own skin, close, closer still until the two of them were making love...

As they fell back onto the pillows she gave a gasp, feeling the weight of his body on top of her and as he held her she seemed so slender and fragile compared to his own body, made so firm after years of working out in prison gym.

Her hands slid over his shoulders, over the inked pictures that were etched forever beneath his flesh.

As her hands moved around his body and she ran them down the tiger that covered half his back, Sylvester felt the sharpness of the memory:

_Sitting there with his shirt off, waiting for the tattoo pistol to fire up, then the sound of the makeshift needle whining low like a dentist's drill splitting the air, while he waited for the pain of the heat and the ink to distract him from the pain of his life, his life spent incarcerated._

_It was simply the exchange of one pain for another, instead of the many thoughts and regrets he carried every day, he would exchange it for stolen ink and a pistol made from radio parts punching holes into his skin for hours at a time, just to forget, to forget the reality of his situation for a short space of time while all he could think about was a different kind of pain..._

The sharpness of the memory was burning his eyes as he took a sharp breath and sat up, blinking away tears that he did not want Penelope to see.

She sat up too, her blonde hair was slightly messed up and she ran her fingers through it and pushed it away from her face.

There was a confused expression in her eyes now.

"What's the matter?" She said, "I thought you wanted me..._us_...you wanted us to –"

"Maybe not." He said quietly, "I'm sorry, Penelope. This is too soon for me. And you're with Clyde. I wouldn't want to make your life complicated."

As he spoke he turned his back slightly, looking away from her.

Every word he had just said was a lie; he wanted her so badly he could think of nothing else but being with her- yet he felt so raw with the memory of the past, then thinking about the present and Penelope's situation with Clyde made him feel worse:

He had _not_ wanted to come back into her life to cause problems for her - that was the _last_ thing he ever wanted to do...

Penelope reached out and gently ran her hand down the tiger etched upon his back.

_"Sylvester."_ She said quietly, _"Look at me."_

He hesitated.

"Just turn around, _please_ sweetheart."

She had spoken so gently.

He turned back and looked into her eyes.

Penelope put her hand on his cheek and her touch was warm and soft.

"Maybe Clyde isn't the guy for me" She told him, deciding now would be the best time to voice the doubts she had been carrying in her heart for quite a while, the doubts that until now she had shared with no one.

"I want to think we're perfect together, but every time he wants us to move on with things and get closer and live together and plan the wedding - I just pull back from it. I think I know why_. I don't feel for him in the way that I do for you_."

Sylvester smiled on hearing those words and he wished life could be as simple as she had made it sound.

"But you've only just got to know me again. And you've been with him a long time! Maybe we're both getting swept away by emotion because of everything that happened in the past, the intensity of it – perhaps that's all it is. I don't want you making any decisions you might regret later on just because of me."

Penelope slid her hand over his shoulder.

"_Because of you?_ Sylvester, how can you talk like that?"

"Like what?"

"Like you don't matter? Like you're not important to me?"

Her remark surprised him.

"I didn't realize you cared _that_ much!"

Her eyes sparkled and her voice was filled with warmth now.

"You have no idea how much you mean to me. And you _do_ matter; you matter a _lot_ to me."

The gentle pressure on his shoulder was enough to persuade him to lie back down.

As he lay back on the pillow and she leaned over him, he laughed nervously.

"_I feel like I might as well give up this fight."_

Penelope smiled as she looked into his eyes.

"I think that would be the best decision, Sylvester. _Because I'm not letting you go now._"

As he looked up at her all his doubts slipped away and he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer and kissing her hard and deeply, then rolling over and turning her onto her back and as he pulled away from that kiss he was out of breath and his eyes had darkened with desire.

"It's been a long time." He said, reaching down and pushing her dress above her hips, "I've been away fifteen years. That's a _very_ long time to go without-"

"_I know."_ Penelope said softly_, "It's okay, I understand."_

Then her eyes widened as his sudden movement took her by surprise as he reached behind her and tugged down the zip at the back of her dress. He grabbed at the fabric and pulled it off her shoulders, sliding it down and he knew his hands were shaking as he ran them over her warm flesh.

He pulled her even closer as he reached down and nervously unbuckled his belt.

"_Are you sure you want me?"_

Penelope wrapped her arms around him and gave him a kiss, that kiss answered his question and blew away all trace of doubt.

Sylvester took her in his arms and made love to her, taking her with the urgency and desperate need of man who had been alone for far too long.

* * *

Snoozy had kept busy, cleaning up the bar and polishing the tables until the polish ran out.

Then he had gone shopping for groceries and when he came back home he let himself into the apartment quietly, not wanting to disturb Sylvester and his friend Penelope, who apparently had a lot to talk about.

He unpacked the groceries and put them away and then he stood in the kitchen with a worried look on his face as he thought about Clyde:

_Sylvester didn't know about Clyde._

_Nobody knew Clyde's secret._

_But he didn't want Sylvester getting into trouble because he had no idea how dangerous the guy was..._

_What if he found out Sylvester was friendly with his girlfriend?_

_What if he got the wrong idea?_

Snoozy gave a sigh as he shook his head; he didn't know what to do for the best in this situation.

_Telling Sparks seemed like the best move to make – but if there was trouble over this, if Clyde came over to the bar..._

_Snoozy's eyes grew wider as he recalled the day Clyde had pinned him against the wall with a knife up against his face._

_No, it was too risky...He couldn't tell anyone._

Then he thought some more about the situation and guessed maybe he was worrying too much.

"They're only friends..." He said quietly, "There's _nothing_ going on..."

But he still felt concerned.

He had heard the word on the street that Clyde was a dangerous guy – he hadn't changed at all... _he had got away with murder, too and he didn't doubt that he would do it again if he felt like it..._

A wave of panic shuddered through him and he felt as if he was in a hopeless situation:

_Opening his mouth about this could only make the situation worse, but he knew for sure if he said nothing that would be wrong, too – because he didn't want anything to happen to Sylvester..._

He made his decision; he would talk to Sylvester about it - after he made him promise not to say a word to Sparks, because Clyde was a bad man to mess with and so was Sparks if he was severely provoked – and he didn't want _anyone_ getting hurt...

Then he checked his watch.

Sylvester and Penelope had been talking in his room for a couple of hours now.

He decided to give them a while longer, and then he would ask again if they wanted a coffee – _and maybe then Penelope would leave, and then he could tell Sylvester about Clyde..._

* * *

Sylvester gave a deep sigh as he lay on his back with Penelope at his side.

"I never thought I'd ever feel this good again!" He exclaimed.

He wasn't shaking any more; now he felt relaxed, all his inhibitions gone after their first moments together as they kissed and embraced on his bed.

Now his clothing was in an untidy heap on the floor along with Penelope's dress and her white boots and her silk and lace underwear.

He moved closer to her, sliding his arm around her tiny waist as she rested her head on his shoulder.

"Do you love Clyde?" He asked her quietly.

"I thought I did." She admitted, "But obviously I don't - at least, not as much as I thought I did. I've never felt like this before, not like it is with you."

As she gently stroked her fingertips against his chest Sylvester knew he couldn't deny that she had made a very honest remark:

The love they had shared had been urgent, passionate, he had taken her hard on her back, needing nothing but to possess her body and even when it was over it wasn't enough, it went beyond sex- he wanted to be with her, be a part of her, never let go of her again...

"But what do you want to do?" He wondered, "I don't want to cause any problems with you and him."

Penelope thought about Clyde and made her choice; after what they had shared it wasn't a difficult decision to make.

"I'll break up with him. Not right away – I'll keep him at a distance, I'll tell him I need some space. Then when he's got used to that, I'll tell him we're over. I couldn't imagine doing it any other way because he's so sweet and kind."

_Sweet and kind?_

That remark baffled Sylvester completely; he could only assume it was Penelope's own sweet and kind nature that was to blame for seeing that guy in such a rose tinted light...

"If that's what you want to do, I'm happy with that." He told her, "And I won't put any pressure on you either way. You might change your mind about me."

She raised her head from his shoulder and looked at him in surprise.

"Why would I change my mind about you?"

And he looked back at her with a flicker of insecurity in his eyes.

"Well I'm no one special, am I..."

Her eyes grew even wider on hearing that

"Sylvester Sneekly, you are a _very_ hot guy!" She exclaimed, "You just don't see it, do you?"

He laughed softly.

"Me? Are you sure you're not talking about some _other_ guy?"

She looked fondly at the handsome man beside her whose toned body and prison tattoos did not match his gentle and softly spoken nature.

"I'm _definitely_ talking about you. And you're gentle and sweet and such a nice guy - _and I love you_."

Those three words seemed to stop his heart for a second.

"You _love_ me?"

Penelope gave him a kiss.

Sylvester felt an ache in his heart as she pulled back from that kiss and tears burned at his eyes and now he didn't even feel the need to hide them.

"_I love you too."_ He whispered as his tears choked his voice, _"I love you too, Penelope."_

She put her arms around him and held him tightly as he pressed his face against her shoulder and gave a sob. She said nothing, just stroked his hair and held him while he let out the tears he had kept inside for too long.

As she held him her closeness seemed to ease the pain he felt at the years he had spent regretting so much in his life. As he took in a breath to steady himself, she brushed the tears away and looked into his eyes.

"It's like you said, it's over now. We have the future to think about, Sylvester – and we can do that together now."

"I'm so glad I found you again!" He told her as he held her tightly.

_Then the door opened._

Penelope gave a gasp and grabbed the tangled sheets, pulling them up to cover herself.

She had pulled the sheets about herself so much that all Sylvester could do was grab a pillow and put it in front of him below the waist as he stared at Snoozy.

"_What are you doing?"_ He demanded, _"Haven't you ever heard of knocking on a door before you walk in to a person's bedroom? Are you some kind of pervert? Are you a peeping tom?"_

Snoozy was staring right back at him.

His gaze shifted briefly to Penelope and then he looked back at Sylvester once more.

"You're..._together?_"

"Actually, yes we are - not that it's anyone else's business!"

Snoozy was still staring at him:

_They were more than friends? _

_Sylvester was with Penelope? _

_He was sleeping with Clyde's woman?_

_If Clyde found out he would kill him for this..._

"Oh no..."He said quietly, and then he looked away.

"Sorry...I didn't mean to walk in like that..."

And he quickly left the room again closing the door firmly behind him.

Penelope gave a sigh of relief as she let go of the covers.

"Sylvester, you need to start locking your door!" She told him.

But Sylvester was only half listening as he wondered about the look he had seen in Snoozy's eyes – he hadn't just been surprised or embarrassed to walk in on them like that, he seemed to be shocked about something else and he just couldn't work out what it could be. He decided to talk to him later on, after Penelope had gone home...

"Maybe you should come over to me next time." She said as she got up and started to get dressed.

Sylvester sat there for a moment leaning against the pillow as he let his eyes wander over the curves of her naked body and he smiled, still feeling the glow from their love making.

"I don't know what I ever did in my life to deserve a beautiful woman like you." He said honestly, "I still don't get what you see in a guy like me."

Penelope had put her underwear back on.

She leaned over him and looked into his eyes.

"Stop putting yourself down!" She told him, and she kissed him again, before turning back to her dress and picking it up off the floor.

She slipped it on, zipped it up and then sat down on the bed to put on her boots.

Sylvester sat up, putting his arm around her and pulling her back towards him as he ran his hand up the white PVC that clung to her shapely legs.

"_I love your boots."_ He whispered, _"They turn me on..."_

And Penelope giggled, then she kissed him and he lay back and enjoyed more of her kisses as she moved from his mouth to his throat, from his throat to his chest, then as her soft kisses moved lower still he closed his eyes and gave a sigh of pleasure as those kisses grew more intimate, taking him all the way back to that state of helpless bliss that he had quickly learned to welcome; _he knew for sure she loved him now, he knew he loved her too..._

He still wasn't sure how the situation with Clyde would turn out, but when she had him like this and all he could do was lay back and get lost in the moment, nothing else seemed to really matter as much as her kiss, her touch and how wonderful it felt to be loved, not only loved but loved with the kind of passion he had never had a chance to know in his life before this day..._nothing_ seemed to matter any more, just Penelope - she was _all_ that mattered to him now...

* * *

It was raining again when she walked out of the side exit from the bar.

Snoozy was inside, watching from behind the curtain as she went up the path taking dainty steps in her high heeled boots.

Sylvester handed her back the pink umbrella, as she took it from him she was getting into her car.

He leaned inside and they shared a deep, lasting kiss before he reluctantly pulled away.

He said something to her and she smiled and said something back to him that looked like _I love you too_.

Then he stepped back and the car drove away and Sylvester headed back down the path, quickening his pace as the rain fell harder.

Snoozy shifted away from the window and walked across the bar room, hearing the door close again as Sylvester went back inside.

He hurried from the bar and caught up with him.

"_Sylvester?"_

On hearing Snoozy call his name, he turned back.

"What is it, Snoozy? I've got paperwork to do and I'm going out to get some shopping later, I still need to get some new clothes. Can't this wait?"

Snoozy recalled how angry Sylvester had been when he had walked in the bedroom and seen him with Penelope.

Suddenly that conversation about Clyde seemed as if it ought to be discussed another time...

"I'm sorry about walking in on you like that." He said, feeling an apology was due more than anything else right now, "I didn't mean to do that, you said you and her were just friends and I thought that was true."

A brief glimmer of annoyance had been present in Sylvester's eyes when he first looked at him, but now it was gone.

"Okay." He said, "Apology accepted, Snoozy. It's my fault too – I very much wanted me and Penelope to be more than friends and then it happened - and I had no way of warning you the situation had changed."

Snoozy frowned.

"Penelope..." He said, "Yeah...nice girl_...but_..."

"But _what?_" Sylvester demanded,"_Why_ are you talking to me like I shouldn't be seeing her? I saw the look in your eyes when you walked in the bedroom - don't you like the girl, have you got some reason why you think we shouldn't get together?"

Snoozy's eyes widened in surprise.

"I don't even _know_ her!" He exclaimed, "I never said I didn't like her, it's just that..."

He stopped again, recalling the knife Clyde had held to his face so long ago.

"I...I don't know, Sylvester. You've just got out of prison, she's pretty and she wanted you and you wanted her - I get that, of _course_ I do! I just hope she doesn't break your heart."

Sylvester smiled on hearing that remark.

"Penelope would _never_ do that to me." He assured him, "We've known each other a long time, we go back a long way, too. It's hard to explain the kind of history we've shared – but we care about each other. This isn't some five minute fling for either of us. There are _feelings _involved."

"Feelings?" Snoozy's eyes grew wide again as he realized this was _far_ more serious than he first thought:

_They were in love? _

_Clyde would kill him for sure..._

Sylvester looked at him feeling utterly confused.

"What's this about, Snoozy? Did Sparks tell you to keep an eye on me, is that why you're so nervous about me getting close to Penelope? Is he worried that I might have problems getting used to being on the outside again, is that it? Because if it is I'll call him right now and tell him he doesn't have to worry!"

He took his cell phone from his pocket.

"No!" Snoozy said in alarm, thinking this could only land him in trouble with the boss, "Sparks didn't say anything at all! It's just _me_, I'm worried about you."

Sylvester put his phone away.

He started to smile again as he recalled how worried Snoozy had been when he found out about his epilepsy.

"Oh Snoozy, I'm fine!" He assured him "Don't worry about me!"

And he put his hand on his shoulder as he looked at him kindly.

"I'm touched that you'd be so concerned about me. But you don't have to worry, I'm okay. And now I have to go – I've got to get some paperwork finished. I'll see you later on."

And Sylvester turned away, walked down the hall and then went up the stairway.

Snoozy stood alone in the hallway long after Sylvester had gone upstairs, feeling sick with worry as he wondered what he could do about this situation...it seemed every option he had led to possible risk and danger – _yet he couldn't stay silent forever, because Sylvester was in danger and he didn't even know it..._

* * *

Penelope was at home, on her bed, on her back with her boots off as she talked on the phone to her best friend.

"That's right – Sylvester Sneekly. And no, I haven't gone crazy! Remember what you said about how would I feel if he walked up to me in the restaurant? Well all that bad stuff is behind _both _of us now. We made up, we made friends and then we kissed and before I knew it I was in his arms!"

And she gave a sigh.

"It feels so right. That's all that matters to both of us."

On the other end of the phone, Melanie sighed too, but hers was a sigh of despair.

"Oh Penelope, you've only got to know the guy all over again for _five minutes!_ And he's been in jail, he's been all alone for a very long time! How do you know this isn't something that won't fizzle out after a few weeks? Then where will you be? I'll tell you where you'll be - left with a broken heart and no Clyde, either!"

Penelope explained some more.

"I'm ending it with Clyde. I have to because after what I shared with Sylvester I knew for sure Clyde wasn't the right one for me – and I'd stand by that decision even if me and Sylvester broke up tomorrow. I just know when it's right – and it's _not _right with Clyde. I just don't love him enough, that's why I'm ending it with him."

There was a pause.

Then Melanie spoke up and spoke her mind again, but this time her tone had changed.

"I'm glad you're ending it with Clyde. I never liked him and I never thought he was right for you – I know you're always saying what a nice guy he is, but I just don't see it. I don't see _any _kind of great love in his eyes when he looks at you, I never have."

Penelope felt surprised at this remark.

"How come you never said all this to me before?" She wondered.

"Because you never would have listened to me, Penelope! I know what you're like when you're in love, you only want to see the good in a person – you just don't look for the negative. I think it's just the way you are, you like to see the best in other people and that's not a bad thing – but you just don't look deep enough sometimes. I just hope Sylvester's as great as you've described him. It sounds as if he's changed a lot from the guy you remember all those years ago."

Penelope smiled as she thought of her lover.

"Oh he's changed so much I barely recognized him the first time he turned up on my doorstep! And what matters the most is we've put the past behind us. He's the one for me Melanie, I just know it!"

"I hope you're right. But what are you going to about Clyde? How are you going to tell him?"

She thought about it.

"I'm going to tell him I've decided I want some space, that I want us to have a break for a while." She replied, "I'll tell him next time he comes over. Maybe we could get together on Saturday, we could have a barbecue. You could come along, and I'll invite Sylvester too – Clyde knows he's a friend so there's no harm in letting him meet him. Then I'll have a quiet talk with Clyde and let him down gently. By the time he's used to not seeing me, after a few weeks, I'll tell him I want to be on my own for a while, that I think were better off just being friends- then it won't hurt his feelings so badly when he finds out me and Sylvester are together."

"If I were you," Melanie said, "I'd tell Clyde we were through and cut ties with the guy completely. He's just _not_ the kind of man to walk away easily. I'd just make a clean break."

"But I'm _not _you." Penelope told her, "And like you said, I like to be nice. Clyde hasn't done anything to hurt me, so I want to do this in the nicest way that I possibly can."

Melanie gave another sigh.

"Well I guess you've made up your mind." She said, "I just hope this works out the way you're planning it. I've often seen a look in his eyes when things don't go his way and I don't like it – he's got a mean temper under the surface, I can just tell. I _know_ that kind of guy. Be careful how you do this, honey."

Penelope heard her warning but paid little notice to it:

_She had known Clyde a long time and she was sure if he was the kind of man to turn nasty she would have found that out by now..._

"You worry too much, Melanie." She reassured her, "It's all going to be just fine! I'll see you Saturday – and _stop_ worrying about me, I know what I'm doing..."

* * *

Sylvester tidied up the paperwork and closed the file and pushed it aside.

The paperwork had been sorted out, put in order of priority and the most urgent stuff had been dealt with. There was nothing difficult about his job at all; the kind of paperwork that would take Snoozy all day took him a mere hour to complete - _and_ the desk was tidy now, too.

He got up and opened a window, letting warm air filter into the room. Then he checked his watch and decided he had more than enough time to go into town and get his shopping done at last.

Then the door opened and Sparks walked in.

"How are you finding the new job?" He asked him.

"It's very easy." Sylvester told him, "At least, it's easy for me. But then I was running half of Pitstop Shipping by the time I was twenty four so I've always had a good head for business."

"Where's Snoozy?" Sparks wondered.

Sylvester smiled.

"He's watching TV...or he _was_ watching TV... by now he's probably -"

"_Taking a nap." _Sparks guessed_, "Lazy bastard..."_

"No, I told him to take a break." Sylvester added, "He worked hard this morning, he's been cleaning the bar."

"He's been working? Oh well, I'll let him sleep then. "Sparks replied.

And then he thought about what Sylvester had said last time they'd met, about how much he wanted to meet up with Penelope again.

"Did you find that girl you wanted to speak to?" He wondered.

"Yes I did."

Warmth crept into Sylvester's voice and it reflected in his eyes too - and seeing him so happy made Sparks smile.

"You two are getting along okay? You put the past behind you?"

Sylvester smiled too.

"We did more than that." He told him, "I'm seeing her now. _We got together_."

Sparks laughed and gave him a hug.

"I'm happy for you!" He told him, letting go of him and giving him a pat on the back, "That's nice, I like it when things work out so well. It's about time you had something good happen in your life, Sylvester."

Then his cell phone rang and Sylvester picked it up from the desk

He smiled as he saw the number on the caller display.

"That's her right now," He said excitedly, "She's calling me!"

He answered the call at once.

"Hi Sylvester." Penelope said sweetly, "I'm just letting you know I'm having a barbecue on Saturday. Melanie- she's my best friend - she's coming along, and Clyde's coming too. But I want you to be there because he knows we're friends and we shouldn't hide that part from him. I'm going to let him down gently just like I said. I think it's the best way to handle this.

"Fine." He replied, "I'll go along with whatever you think is best. I'm just happy that we can be together."

Then his voice dropped as they spoke some more and Sparks smiled as he noticed Sylvester turn away to listen to what she was saying, then he whispered that he loved her too.

As he ended the call he turned back to Sparks, who noticed Sylvester was blushing now.

"I'm so happy your life is working out so well." He told him, "When I think back to the guy I recall in jail who was ready to give up on life I feel so glad that you've come so far."

"I guess I have but I don't really notice it." Sylvester replied, "I just get on with each day."

"And you do that very well too." Sparks promised him.

Then he glanced at the file on the desk.

"I'll take all the urgent stuff now if it's finished."

"Of course."

Sylvester took out the finished paperwork and handed it to him.

"I'll get going now." Sparks said, "Do you need a ride any where?"

"I still need to get that shopping done, you could take me into town – if it's not too much trouble."

"Nothing is ever too much trouble for you, son." Sparks said in reply, and Sylvester wanted to hug him again but held it back; Sparks had never called him _son_ before but he had known for years he had thought of him that way, ever since that day he had come to see him in the hospital and he had mentioned his own late son, who he reminded him of so much...

Then a toilet flushed and moments later Snoozy wandered out through the open apartment door, he came into the office and yawned, standing there wearing nothing but a t-shirt, boxer shorts and socks.

He paused to scratch at his underwear before he spoke.

"Did you get the paperwork -"

He blinked, instantly wide awake as he realized Sparks was also in the office.

"Oh, Hi Mr Sparks. _I wasn't being lazy, I was just –_"

"Taking a break, I know. Sylvester told me, I heard how hard you've been working." Sparks said warmly.

Then Sparks walked out the door and headed for the stairs.

As Sylvester made a move to follow him, Snoozy caught his eye and smiled.

"Thanks for putting in a good word with Sparks for me."

Sylvester returned his smile.

"No problem, Snoozy." He said, then he left the office and went down the stairs to catch up with Sparks, feeling sure that his boss was right – _life was going his way for once and it seemed as if nothing could go wrong now.._.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

It was a bright sunny morning, the birds were singing in the trees outside the open window.

There wasn't a cloud in the sky and the weather looked as if it might stay just perfect for the barbecue at Penelope's house.

The days had passed slowly as he had waited to see her again, but as Sylvester buttoned up his shirt in front of the mirror he smiled as he thought about seeing her again.

He decided against a tie and he picked up his jacket – he was wearing a new suit, he had been shopping and now his closet was full of new clothes. He had chosen to go for a smart look as opposed to casual because Sparks liked him to look presentable as the new manager of the bar.

But the work was easy because Snoozy did the bar work and took care of all the manual duties and Sylvester's only job was to run the office and take care of the paperwork. He guessed that things had worked just fine before he came along and Snoozy had managed to muddle through without any help- but Sparks had been determined to give him a job and a roof over his head, and he had wanted that job to be legal, too – so he had given him the task of running the office.

_It was an easy life. _

Sylvester felt tempted to tell his boss that his job was too easy – but he didn't want to complain, not when everything was going so well.

He felt warmth washing over him as he thought about the woman he loved- it would be difficult not to show his true feelings in front of Clyde, but he understood why Penelope wanted to do things like this – she wanted to have him established as one of her friends before Clyde ever knew they'd got together, to hopefully make things easier to accept when he found out the truth...

He hoped she was right that Clyde would accept everything she had to say, because no guy liked to be dumped by his girlfriend- _and from what he had seen of Clyde, he didn't seem the type to take bad news calmly at all..._

Then he heard a tap on the door.

"You don't have to knock when I'm _alone_ in here, Snoozy!"

He came into the room and looked at him apologetically.

"Sorry, but I _always_ knock now - so I don't forget when you're _not_ on your own. You look good, Sylvester. Have a nice time at the barbecue."

"Thanks, I will."

He turned to leave but Snoozy was still standing there.

"What?" He wondered.

_Snoozy thought about the things he knew he ought to say to Sylvester, but the words just wouldn't come because every time he tried to say them he remembered being pinned to the wall with Clyde's knife up against his face..._

"I...I just wanted to say... have a nice time, have fun."

Sylvester looked at him thoughtfully:

_Snoozy's life was spent working the bar. He didn't seem to go out much or do anything else with his time..._

"Would you like to come with me?" He wondered, "I'm sure Penelope wouldn't mind."

_"No!"_ He said in alarm, then he noticed the way Sylvester looked at him, wondering why he was getting so worked up.

"I mean...I just don't think I should turn up when I wasn't invited..."

Sylvester looked him in the eye.

"What's going on, Snoozy? You didn't like Penelope when you first met her, now you don't want to come over to her house – _why?_"

Snoozy fell silent for a moment, looking down at the floor. But as he looked up again, Sylvester was still looking hard at him.

"_Talk to me?"_

Snoozy took a deep breath, remembered Sylvester was his friend and tried to get the truth out.

"It's _not _Penelope. I like her_. It's nothing to do with Penelope at all_..."

Sylvester was still looking at him intently.

"I just don't think I should come with you." Snoozy said, feeling frustrated at his own lack of courage and feeling as if he'd just let his friend down badly, "Have a nice time today...I'll see you later, I've got work to do."

And he turned and walked out of the apartment, hurrying down the stairs and heading for the bar.

Sylvester thought about his excuse, then assumed Snoozy was possibly shy around strangers because he couldn't think of any other explanation for his behaviour, then he put on his jacket and headed for the door.

* * *

The patio doors were open and Penelope was out in the garden, standing there watching as Melanie lit up the barbecue.

"I'm _definitely_ telling him today." She said, "Not as soon as he gets here – I'll choose the right moment and take him to one side and tell him we need time apart."

The coals were alight.

Melanie stepped away from the barbecue and took off her apron and smoothed down her short black dress.

"I'll make sure I'm not far away when you _do_ tell him."

Penelope felt surprised at that remark.

"What in the world do you think he's going to do to me?" She exclaimed.

Melanie forced a smile.

_"Nothing, I hope."_

Then the silence was shattered by a brief blast of music from a loud sound system, before Clyde turned off Chuggaboom's engine and the peace was restored once more.

"This is it," Melanie said, "He's here now. I hope this goes the way you want it to go, Penelope."

But Penelope said nothing as she stood there in a thin, pink flowery summer dress and she nervously toyed with her small gold necklace.

Moments later Clyde walked around the side of the house and joined themin the garden.

"I've missed you, babe!" He exclaimed, pulling her close and aiming a kiss on her lips that missed by a mile and landed on her cheek as she turned her head.

She stepped aside and freed herself from his embrace.

Clyde's smile faded.

"What's up with you today? I haven't seen you for days, you keep saying you're busy and now I don't even get a kiss?"

"Not right now," Penelope said to him, "I've got things on my mind...we can talk later, after lunch."

Hearing her say that took the edge off his mood.

"We _do _need to talk; we need to start making plans for the future."

Then he headed back into the house and Penelope followed - and so did Melanie as she wondered if a quarrel was about to blow up between them...

* * *

Clyde went through to the kitchen and looked at the bottles that were lined up.

"Fruit juice and soda?" He exclaimed, "Good thing someone brought some booze along!"

And he took a quarter bottle of vodka from his pocket and set it down next to the juice.

"I'm not drinking." Penelope said, "It wouldn't be fair on Sylvester. He can't drink at all because of his epilepsy, it can stop his pills working."

Clyde gave a sigh.

"Well I'll bet _freaky Sneekly's_ gonna be a bundle of laughs when he shows up – we already know he's crazy because he tried to _kill_ you once, Penelope – and he can't even drink so I guess he'll just sit in the corner all day long. _The only entertainment he'll provide is if he has another one of his seizures!_"

Then Clyde noticed the shocked look on Penelope's face and realized he had said way too much.

"How could you be so mean about him?" She said in a hushed voice, "I didn't know you could be _so_ cruel!"

"I was only thinking of you!" He said, trying to pull everything back in his favor, "The guy tried to _kill _you fifteen years ago – he tried to kill he woman I love, the woman I'm going to marry! How do you think I feel knowing you're _friends_ with the guy?"

Penelope closed her eyes for a moment and took in a deep breath, remembering Clyde knew nothing of _exactly _how close she had become to Sylvester.

Then she looked back at him and kept her voice low.

"_He's my friend. He was sick at the time when he attacked me. That's over with; it was over fifteen years ago! And don't call him names or make fun of his health condition because if you do that one more time you won't be welcome in my house again!"_

And Melanie saw the stunned look on Clyde's face and got a certain amount of satisfaction from it.

"I think I'll have a drink." She said, "I know you don't mind sharing because you're such a _nice_ guy, Clyde..."

And she swiped the vodka and opened it up, pouring a very large measure into a glass before adding some orange juice.

Melanie took a sip and put the glass back down again, then she walked over to the window on the other side of the kitchen and looked out at the garden beyond, aware that Penelope's conversation with Clyde was _far_ from over...

"When we get married things will change around here." Clyde told her, "I can see you want to forgive Sneekly and be friends with him - maybe he screwed up your head when he attacked you, maybe you're not thinking right. But that's _nothing_ new! _That's_ why I want joint ownership of Pitstop Shipping when we're married. _You're unstable, Penelope. You're just not thinking clearly_..."

Penelope looked at him sharply as all plans to choose the right moment to make a break from him vanished from her thoughts in an instant.

"We're _not_ getting married." She stated, _"I want some space, Clyde. I need to be on my own for a while, I'm not sure were right for each other."_

Clyde fell silent as he stared at her, seeing all his plans crumble as her eyes reflected such coldness.

"_You don't mean that..."_

"We'll talk later." She replied, "Right now I don't want to say _anything_ to you, Clyde!"

Then the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it." Penelope said, glad for an excuse to make a swift exit from the kitchen.

Clyde turned to Melanie.

"I think Penelope's not thinking straight." He said, "I'm worried about her."

Melanie looked at him, making no attempt to hide her real feelings because she didn't need to do that any more.

"_I make her right."_ She replied, _"Because I don't think you really love her, certainly not enough to marry her. Who knows, maybe you're after her money."_

Then she felt a flicker of fear as she saw cold anger building in Clyde's eyes and in that moment she knew she was right about him, she was totally right... it was also unnerving and she stepped back a little, then felt instant relief as she heard Penelope talking with Sylvester as they neared the kitchen and she knew she wouldn't have to be alone with Clyde and his anger any longer.

Penelope walked through the door with a bright smile on her face as she glanced back at Sylvester.

"At last we can have some proper introductions." She said, "Sylvester, this is Clyde – I know you met him before, but maybe the two of you can have a proper chance to talk this time - and this is Melanie my oldest and closest friend."

Melanie smiled and said _Hi_. Then Clyde stepped forward, keen to please Penelope and offered Sylvester his hand.

"That's a good idea." He said, "I think we should get to know each other."

And they shook hands.

"Would you like a drink?" Melanie asked him.

"No booze for me –"

"I know," She replied,"Penelope told us about that. "

"I'll just have some orange juice." Sylvester said.

Melanie was pouring the juice into a glass.

Clyde glanced at the other, identical glass and smiled as an idea came to him...

"I guess someone should go and see if the barbecue's ready." He remarked.

"Let's go outside." Penelope said to Sylvester, and as he smiled at her Clyde swore he saw more than friendship pass between them in the look they shared..._Penelope had looked right into his eyes and Sylvester had given her the same lingering glance..._

As they walked out the door Melanie turned to follow, keen to avoid any more time alone with Clyde.

He quickly switched the glasses around on the kitchen table and called her back.

"Don't forget the drinks." He remarked.

Melanie picked up the orange juice in one hand thinking it was her own, and then lifted the other glass and swiftly left the room.

Clyde lingered in the kitchen for a moment, then he took a slow walk out to the back of the house, wondering how long it would take for that glass loaded with vodka to give Sylvester another one of his seizures...

* * *

By the time Melanie had started the food on the barbecue, Penelope was standing close to her.

Clyde was waiting over by the doors that led into the house, he kept glancing at her but she paid him little attention and the longer she kept her distance the more he began to worry, so much that his anger began to fade out:

_If Penelope broke off their engagement now, he stood to lose more than a fiancée and he knew it – he would also lose his plans for the future that involved her wealth and control of Pitstop Shipping – and losing ties with her now could even cost him his import arrangement...that was something that could see him losing his life because the guys he dealt with wouldn't take kindly to their dealer suddenly cutting ties... drugs was a deadly business in every way, and he didn't want to think about the downside if everything fell apart..._

Sylvester had been sitting down at a patio table and he got up and wandered over to some rose bushes that were a vivid shade of orange.

Penelope turned away from Melanie and saw Sylvester smelling the roses.

She went over to him and gently touched his arm.

His eyes lit up as he turned to her and he wanted to kiss her but remembered he couldn't do that in front of Clyde.

"Have you spoken to him yet?" He wondered.

"Not yet." She said, keeping her voice low, "I lost my temper with him before you showed up and I told him we were over- but I'm not sure if he thinks I mean it. I'll talk to him after lunch."

"Good idea."

Sylvester blinked as the rose petals seemed to blur for a moment.

He turned away from the roses and looked intently at Penelope.

"_I feel strange."_

Penelope blinked.

"Why?"

As Sylvester looked around the patio he felt confused:

He was dizzy and everything seemed to be moving in slow motion, from birds flying through the sky to the smoke rising off the barbecue. He looked back at Penelope who blinked again and the movement of her eyelashes seemed so slow she looked as if she stood there with her eyes closed for a second or two before she opened them again.

He started to wonder about the drink Melanie had handed him a while ago; after trying that juice which had tasted a bit sour he had drunk half of it and tipped the rest away. But he had had felt warm and slightly dizzy ever since... And this feeling of the world moving in slow motion was nothing new- it was the kind of warning he got just before a seizure.

_"I think I should go inside."_

Penelope stared at him; Sylvester looked scared and he was breaking out in a sweat.

"Why? What's the matter?"

_"Nothing."_ He said quietly, heading for the open doors.

Penelope rushed after him, feeling worried now.

Clyde didn't move from where he sat at the patio table; he just watched as the scene unfolded, then he smiled as he guessed if Sylvester having another seizure wasn't enough to put Penelope off her new friend, at least Melanie would get the blame for it:

_Maybe this would even get the best friend out of the way – and she had to go for sure because she had made her feelings perfectly clear back in the kitchen..._

* * *

"Sylvester?"

"_I'm fine."_

As he spoke the front room seemed to revolve sharply and he stumbled, leaning against the wall as he entered the room.

Penelope reached for him. She was worried; he knew that because he could see it clearly in her eyes.

He wanted to tell her he was fine but then he knew nothing, falling forward and hitting the rug, missing the coffee table by a combination of a near miss and sheer luck as he lost consciousness and his body started to shake.

Penelope fell to her knees and carefully reached out to try and hold him.

She wasn't even sure if holding him still was the right thing to do because she knew nothing about his health condition – but he was lying there on his side and shaking violently and all she knew for sure was that she wanted to help him.

She grabbed hold of him and he was stiff and unresponsive as his body continued to shake.

As she shouted his name in panic Melanie ran into the room and Clyde followed.

"_I don't know what to do!"_

Penelope's eyes were wide with fright.

Then Sylvester stopped shaking and his body went limp on the floor. His breathing began to slow to an even rhythm as if he was sleeping and he rolled onto his back and gave a sigh.

"What do I do?" Penelope said as she looked up at Melanie and Clyde.

"I don't know!" Melanie replied, "Can you wake him up?"

Penelope put her hand on Sylvester's shoulder and gave him a gentle shake.

"Sylvester? Can you hear me?"

Tears filled her eyes and Clyde noticed and then he spoke up.

"Maybe he shouldn't be here. Maybe he should be in the hospital. He's _obviously_ got a big problem - this is the second time this has happened. I _told _you there was something wrong with the guy –"

"_Shut up!"_

The anger in her voice silenced him.

She ran her hand over Sylvester's hair as she spoke quietly to him.

"Oh please wake up! Why did this happen again?"

Sylvester slowly opened his eyes, looked up at the ceiling and wondered why he was in Penelope's house. Then he remembered the barbecue and how strange he had been feeling. Penelope was leaning over him and she had been crying, tears were still wet on her face.

"Don't cry." He whispered, "I love you..."

Penelope didn't care that Clyde had just heard what he said while he was still in a state of confusion.

"Can you remember what caused this?"

Sylvester tried to move and promptly gave up because he ached all over.

"I feel..."

He knew what he wanted to say but the seizure had made him feel like his whole vocabulary had been shaken about.

He searched for the right word and found it:

"_Drunk?"_

Melanie's eyes grew wider as she thought about cooking at the barbecue, picking up her glass of vodka and orange and wondering why it seemed like there was no kick to her drink any more...

"_Oh no I'm so sorry!"_ She exclaimed, "It was _my_ fault - I was in the kitchen..."

She thought about it some more and her eyes clouded with confusion- she had been _sure_ she had icked up the right glass back in the kitchen...

_"I'm sorry Sylvester, I gave you the wrong glass!"_

Sylvester was trying to sit up but he was still unsteady and Penelope put her arm around him as she helped him.

She glared at Melanie.

"_The wrong glass?_ How could you do that and not realize for more than an hour, Melanie?"

"Well I was busy with the cooking and I thought my drink wasn't quite right but I was busy and –"

"This is _YOUR_ fault!" Penelope yelled, "You _know_ he can't drink! You gave him a seizure!"

Sylvester was still on the carpet but sitting up by now and Penelope's raised voice cut through his head like a knife.

"Could you please stop yelling?" He said weakly.

Penelope had barely heard him.

"_Get out of my house!"_ She said sharply.

Melanie stared at her as tears glazed her eyes.

"_It was an accident! I'm sorry! I wouldn't have done this on purpose!"_

"Get out!" Penelope said again, and as Melanie turned and tearfully walked out of the room, Penelope didn't give her friend a second thought as she spoke to Sylvester.

"Come on honey, you need to get up."

"No I'm okay." He said, wishing he could sound like he meant that, but in truth he knew he still felt slightly dazed.

Penelope managed a smile on hearing him say that.

"You can't stay on the floor, Sylvester! Let me put you on the couch."

As he leaned on the coffee table and she helped him to his feet Clyde made no attempt to lend a hand.

"Maybe you should go home, Sylvester." He said, "You're clearly unwell. You'd be better off at home. Maybe I could give you a ride, I don't mind."

Penelope helped him onto the couch and she shot Clyde a furious look.

"Maybe _you _should take a ride and go home!" She snapped, "Don't pretend to feel sorry for him because I told you we're over! It won't make a difference – I _don't _want to see you again, Clyde!"

And Clyde stared at her.

"No, Penelope – you just threw _Melanie_ out. I can understand that; she did a stupid thing and he suffered for it. But it's _not_ fair to take this out on me. Even if you have your doubts about us, I still love you, babe!"

_It was his last attempt at trying to sweet talk her._

_And he knew it wasn't working._

Penelope was glaring at him with more rage than he imagined her capable of possessing.

"_GET OUT!" _She yelled, _"Leave me alone, Clyde! What do I have to do, call the cops to throw you out of here?"_

At the mention of the word _cops_ he decided to make a swift exit.

"Okay, I'm leaving. But you'll regret this, Penelope – _you'll regret this when you come to your senses and wish you'd never taken up with him, when you're sick of wasting your life looking after him!_"

Penelope's eyes fired up with more rage but then Clyde turned sharply and walked away, slamming the door so hard it shook against the frame as he left.

She took a deep breath as she thought about how Melanie had warned her about Clyde's temper – then she sat down on the couch and gently eased Sylvester down on to it.

"There you go, just lie still for a while."

He gave a groan.

"Oh no, not the couch _again!_ I don't need to be put on the couch I'm not a little kid...just let me sit up."

And he pulled himself upright again and the room span around thanks to the booze and he promptly laid back down.

"Maybe I _will_ lie on the couch for a while."

Penelope's eyes clouded with worry.

"Will this happen again? I mean, if your medication's stopped working –"

Sylvester felt lousy, both from the seizure and from the clash of the alcohol and the medication in his bloodstream.

He had closed his eyes for a moment but he looked up at Penelope and quickly put her mind at ease.

"My seizures are relatively mild when they do happen. Unless I'm severely stressed and get other contributing factors – like I did with the light – or if alcohol stops my meds working, that's the _only_ time I'll get a trigger for a seizure. I don't think I'll have another one, I'll probably be okay. But I do feel lousy and I do need to rest. I just need to take it easy for the rest of the day. I'll be back on my meds tomorrow and I should be fine."

Penelope's dark eyes widened.

"_Should _be okay?"

"There's no reason to assume I won't be. But I don't drink and there was a lot of booze in that glass. I feel sick because of that too. I'll call Snoozy later, get him to drop my meds off for me."

"You don't have them with you?"

"I took my pills this morning. I had no reason to think I'd need to bring the bottle with me."

Penelope got up and leaned over him, raising his head as she put a cushion behind him.

"You just lie back and rest. You're staying here tonight, I want to take care of you."

Sylvester gave a sigh and closed his eyes.

He guessed he could do without all the fuss but he knew Penelope loved him and if fussing over him made her feel better, he could go along with it just to make her feel a little happier.

"I love you." She reminded him, then she kissed his cheek.

Sylvester had closed his eyes again and the feel of her kiss brought a faint smile to his face.

"I love you too." He murmured, then as he slipped into an exhausted sleep, Penelope hovered over him for a moment anxiously watching him as he rested. Then she walked out of the room to find his jacket, which she was sure was draped over a chair in the garden – she needed to take his cell phone out of it, because he needed his meds - _She needed to call Snoozy and get him to bring those pills over as soon as he could..._

* * *

Snoozy was also lying on a couch, but he was'nt unwell he was just resting after coming off the phone from a _very_ long conversation with Yak Yak about the old days and then about any random stuff that Yak Yak wanted to start yakking about.

He had called him mainly to hear his voice, to hear from a friend who also remembered Clyde- but when he had brought up the past and Yak Yak had started laughing about the _good_ times, the serious stuff had shifted to the back of his mind – the only other thought Snoozy had entertained was the possibility that telling Yak Yak a big secret like this would probably be the _last _thing he should be doing, because that guy never knew when to keep his mouth shut about anything...

_And so he had said nothing about Clyde._

When the call was over he had watched TV for a while and the warm air filtering through the open windows had made him feel sleepy.

He had taken a nap, only to be shaken out of it by his phone ringing.

Snoozy had woken up sharply and slammed his hand down on to the coffee table, only to find his phone was not there.

Then he had grabbed it from the floor, looked at it and realized he had in fact picked up the TV remote control instead.

Snoozy had sat there on the couch and listened to the muffled ringing of the missing phone:

The phone went on ringing..._somewhere..._

Then Snoozy had rolled over and stuck his hand down the couch, smiling triumphantly as he finally retrieved it.

He answered it quickly before the caller gave up.

"Hi!"

"Hello, Snoozy? This is Penelope."

His smile faded.

"Oh, hi Penelope. Is Sylvester okay?"

She sounded worried as she started to explain.

"No he's not okay, Snoozy. My friend Melanie accidentally gave him the wrong drink – it was full of vodka and he didn't realize and he drank it and he had a seizure. But he's okay now, he's resting. He's staying here with me until tomorrow. But he needs his meds. Can you bring his pills over to the house? Just get his pills and I'll give you my address and you can just –"

"_No!"_

"Excuse me? I just told you Sylvester needs his meds. He's your friend! Why can't you do that for him? I could come over and get them for him but I don't want to leave him right now."

Snoozy felt a wave of panic wash over him as he thought about Clyde.

"_It's difficult..."_

"Just bring the meds over. He needs you to do this for him, Snoozy! He's laid up on the couch and he's feeling lousy! I'll see you soon."

_And the phone call ended._

Snoozy put the phone down on the table and looked at it as he thought about going over to her house, about the possibility that he would bump into Clyde:

_If Clyde saw him and found out he was Sylvester's friend... even worse, if Clyde suspected Sylvester was seeing Penelope... it would lead to trouble, the worst kind of trouble he could imagine because he knew all about Clyde..._

He shook his head.

"_I can't do this..."_ He whispered.

Then the phone lit up.

He accessed his messages.

Penelope had sent her address along with the message, _Hurry up!_

But Snoozy just sat there holding the phone and hating himself for not having more courage.

He wanted to help Sylvester but it seemed the stakes were too high. He still hated himself for not telling his new friend the truth about Penelope's boyfriend, too.

And he continued to think about her message but still sat there doing nothing.

Snoozy gave a sigh.

"_Please_ don't ask me again!" He said aloud, "You just don't know what's going on..."

Then he thought about Sylvester and felt sick with worry.

The minutes ticked by and the phone lit up again.

He gave another sigh, knowing more messages asking for his help would just make him feel even worse about a situation he felt powerless to change. He still wanted to warn Sylvester about Clyde, it was on his mind constantly - _but he was scared and no one knew that, no one knew what Clyde was capable of..._

Snoozy accessed his messages again.

This time his gaze lingered on the screen as he felt deep concern for his friend.

Penelope had taken a picture of Sylvester but he didn't know anything about it; he was fast asleep on a couch and he looked pale and exhausted.

Snoozy read the message she had enclosed:

_Please come over here and bring his meds. He needs your help._

Snoozy hit the reply button before he had time to think about it and back out:

_Ok, I'm on my way..._

Then he grabbed his jeans and put them on, slipped on his shoes and went into Sylvester's room to find his medication.

The pills were in a drawer next to his bed.

He put them in his pocket and then headed for the door, pausing to grab his car keys.

Then he hurried out to his car, thinking only of the fact that his friend needed his help and pushing aside all other thoughts, especially the one that scared him the most - _the thought that he might turn up at Penelope's house and find himself face to face with Clyde again after all these years..._

* * *

Long after Melanie had left Penelope's house, Clyde had sat in Chuggaboom with the engine running but the music turned off as he thought about the problem that he faced:

The best friend didn't like him, but she was gone now thanks to his stunt with the drinks.

Sylvester Sneekly was now his biggest problem - and it was becoming clear that Penelope's feelings for him ran deeper than friendship, which on the scale of things put _all _of his plans in jeopardy.

_Sneekly had to go and Penelope needed to be back where she belonged, back in his plans - at least, her money and her business did..._

Clyde thought about it as he looked over at her house, recalling a dark and stormy night long ago when he had broken in and shot her parents to death in an upstairs bedroom and then robbed the safe.

_Penelope had no clue that he was the man who had killed her parents. She didn't even know what he did for a living; she knew nothing about the drugs business that stolen money had helped him to build while it was stained with her parent's blood._

_She knew nothing at all._

Then he thought about Penelope's crazy dreams, and about what Sylvester had done all those years before...

_Why had that all started up, because of the shootings?_

_What had she called the man who staked her nightmares?_

Clyde smiled as a plan began to form in his mind, a plan that would break Penelope and drive her back into his arms once more:

_Of course she would fall for it, she was still afraid of him..._

Clyde laughed softly as he drove away from the house, still thinking about how terrified Penelope would be when she found out her boogeyman had come back to haunt her all over again...

"_You'll come back to me," _He murmured as he drove away, _"You'll beg me to save you from The Hooded Claw..."_


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Snoozy looked around nervously as he got out of his car.

He had no idea if Clyde was about or where he could be or even what he looked like now – they had both been teenagers last time they met, but he was sure he would know him if he saw him again. And he was sure Clyde would recognize him too, because he hadn't changed a great deal over the last fifteen years...

He walked up to Penelope's gate and hit the buzzer.

Snoozy heard a sound on the other end of it and pushed the gate, but the gate wouldn't move.

He hit the buzzer again and again.

_"Stop doing that!"_ Penelope said through the speaker, "Is that you, Snoozy?"

_"Yes!"_

He pushed the gate again just as the lock snapped back, then he walked up the path towards the front door.

As he reached the porch Penelope opened the door.

She saw the wary look in Snoozy's eyes and frowned.

"What is _wrong_ with you?" She exclaimed, "You look like you've seen a ghost!"

"No." He said quietly, "_But you could say I was looking out for one_...here's Sylvester's pills."

And he took the bottle from his pocket and handed it to her.

"_I'd better go."_

He turned to leave.

"Snoozy!"

He turned back, nervously taking a glance behind her down the hallway, but seeing no sign of Clyde.

Penelope was staring at him.

"What are you talking about, _ghosts?_ I know some of the trees by the pathway need to be cut back a little bit, I know it's a bit shady too - but didn't think it was _that _spooky!"

Snoozy felt awkward as he looked back at her. She was looking right into his eyes in the same kind of direct way that Sylvester had when he'd asked him what was going on- and it was hard to keep on lying about everything when he was being looked at in that way...

"I'd better go" He said again.

"Don't go, Snoozy!"

He glanced past Penelope and saw Sylvester standing in the hallway. His shirt was open and he looked tired as he leaned against the wall.

"You should be lying down!" Penelope told him, "Do you want to go to bed? I'll help you up the stairs-"

"No, I'm okay."

Sylvester looked back at Snoozy.

"Don't just stand on the doorstep, _come in!_"

Penelope stepped back and opened the door wider.

Snoozy hesitated, then he crossed the threshold feeling as if he had just stepped into danger.

As Penelope closed the door he looked around again.

"Where's Clyde?"

"_Clyde?"_ Sylvester repeated.

"Where is he?" Snoozy said again.

"He went home." Penelope told him.

Then she stepped closer to him and looked at him curiously.

"You _know_ him?"

And Snoozy nodded, knowing it was too late to hold back from the truth any longer.

"I used to know him a long time ago. We used to hang together. Clyde was younger than me- fifteen, sixteen- but he was _crazy!_ He was a dangerous kid and he's even _more _dangerous now he's grown up!"

Sylvester still felt slightly unsteady and as he looked at Snoozy and thought about everything he had just said he wondered why he had bothered to get up just yet - because he was feeling confused all over again, this time because of what Snoozy had just said...

"Okay...explain again because I've not exactly been at my best today, Snoozy. You used to know Clyde. You say he was a bad kid. I admit he's obnoxious and I don't care much for his attitude around Penelope, but _why_ would you think he's dangerous?"

Snoozy held back on Clyde's boasts about a double murder because he was sure they didn't need to know that too in case it led to more trouble – so he just gave them the basic facts:

"Clyde McDonald is a drug dealer, a _big_ dealer. That's what I've heard but I don't know anything else. Me and him fell out when we were kids and he told me he'd kill me if I ever said anything bad about him."

And he looked at Sylvester.

"I'm sorry, I was too scared to say anything!"

Sylvester gave a sigh; suddenly a _lot_ of things made sense and one look at Snoozy's scared expression explained it all.

"You could have told me." He said to him, "If you felt you couldn't come to me you could have told Sparks! I'm damned sure he's not scared of anyone!"

"I _couldn't_ tell you. I couldn't tell Sparks either, I didn't want to be the one to cause trouble. I'm sorry, Sylvester."

Snoozy looked like a scared kid instead of a grown man all of a sudden.

Sylvester briefly put his hand on his shoulder and spoke to him kindly.

"It's okay. What matters is you've spoken out now. I'm glad you told me that."

Penelope was standing there feeling stunned as the conversation unfolded.

"Clyde?" She exclaimed, _"He's a drug dealer? He can't be..."_

But Sylvester was still talking to Snoozy.

"Have you got proof? Because hearing a rumor on the street _doesn't_ mean it's true."

Penelope stared at them both in disbelief.

"_Hello?_ I AM here!"

Sylvester turned and looked at her

"Sorry Penelope, I'm just trying to make sense of all this – what does Clyde do for a living? What has he told you?"

She thought about it.

"He imports fine antique furniture from around the world. He uses my shipping company to bring it in..."

Her eyes grew wider.

"Oh no...You don't think he's using my company to..."

"I don't know." Sylvester replied, "Maybe he's not doing anything wrong, maybe it's just a rumor with no truth in it."

Snoozy looked hurt by those words.

"I _know_ these things! _Why_ don't you believe me?"

"I'm not saying I don't believe you," Sylvester told him, "But it's a serious accusation to make – we need proof."

Penelope thought about it.

"He's got a shipment coming in the day after tomorrow. We could get customs to turn the whole lot over and-"

"_No!"_

Penelope looked confused.

"No?"

Sylvester saw her clueless expression and gave a sigh.

"Penelope, if Pitstop Shipping gets caught up in this mess the cops won't believe you didn't know anything about it, Clyde was your boyfriend!"

She drew in a shocked breath.

_"I could go to jail?"_

Sylvester thought about his own experience of fifteen years behind bars and shook his head.

"No. You won't go to jail, not ever! I'll make sure of that. Just believe me, prison isn't something you _ever_ want to experience. We keep the cops out of it. We'll go to the company tomorrow and I'll take a look at the shipping records. How long have you been letting Clyde arrange his imports through your fleet?"

Penelope thought about it and the more she thought about it the more worried she became.

"_Six years!"_

"That's a lot of records to go through. I can't do it today because I need to rest and I need to get back on my meds. We'll _definitely _do this in the morning."

Snoozy had been standing silent as they figured out their plan. As he spoke up he felt his insides twist with fear at the thought of taking on Clyde.

"What do we do then?"

Sylvester didn't need to think about his answer.

"_If you're right and he is using the company to bring drugs into the country, we tell Sparks."_

"What can your friend do?" Penelope wondered.

Sylvester just smiled.

"He can do a lot to keep _you_ out of this messy business." He promised her, then he leaned a little harder against the wall as tiredness swept over him once more.

"I think I should go upstairs and lie down now."

"_I'll help you."_

Snoozy there before Penelope could say a word, and she watched as he put his arm around Sylvester and helped him up the stairway.

She was still thinking about what Snoozy had said about Clyde... it seemed unbelievable that he could have a secret life that she knew nothing about – or maybe Melanie was right and she _did_ only try and see the good in people she cared about...

She thought about Melanie but decided against calling her; she was still angry about the mix up over the drinks.

Then Penelope went up the stairs, with only one thought heavy on her mind right now – she wanted to make sure that Sylvester was okay.

* * *

Long after Snoozy had gone home Penelope was still thinking about all he had said about Clyde. She turned it over in her mind and tried to think back to any little clue she could recall that would have suggested he was less than honest in his business dealings - but found none, because Clyde had always kept her in the dark about such things and now she was really starting to see that and the more she thought about it, the more she understood that Melanie had been right about so much...but the memory of what her mistake had done to Sylvester was still sharp in her mind and she decided yet again _not_ to call her.

"_Sylvester?"_

She spoke his name softly and he gave a sigh and turned his head slightly but carried on sleeping.

Penelope smiled as she looked down at him, laying there on her bed with his shirt off while the cooling evening breeze came in through the window.

His firm tattooed body seemed to clash so much with his gentle personality and his softly spoken voice and as she thought about all the reasons why she loved him she wanted to climb onto that bed and take him in her arms and love him all over again – but Sylvester needed to rest and he was sleeping deeply and she knew he needed this sleep, so she leaned over him, gently kissed his cheek and then stepped away from the bed, leaving him to rest once more.

Penelope walked over to the bedroom window, half smiling as she thought about Sylvester laying there on her four poster bed looking like a sleeping prince.

_But then she thought about that seizure he had suffered and her smile faded:_

She didn't know what to believe about Clyde at this moment in time, but she did know for sure he had been wrong when he had said she would tire of taking care of him - she loved Sylvester; she wanted to be with him no matter what - and his seizures were a part of him and she couldn't change that, she didn't want to change _anything_ about him – she loved him, it was as simple as that, she loved him and nothing could _ever_ get in the way of that fact...

_Penelope's gaze was on the darkened garden._

As she looked down at the shady trees that seemed to collect shadow as dusk fell, she thought about what Snoozy had said and wondered if the garden _was_ getting a little spooky. She didn't see it that way in the day time but when evening came she knew he certainly had a point... the whole pathway that led up to the front gate was in shade, and at night it certainly didn't look very inviting at all.

Her gaze wandered across the garden:

Shrubs and bushes, roses, trees, then the lawn where there stood a water feature with a stone fish spouting water into the air. Beyond the garden there was a gate that led to the long, dark yard that went around to the garage.

She gave a sigh and decided she would have to get some of the shrubbery and the trees cut back soon, because although she didn't find the place spooky in daylight, it was certainly beginning to look creepy at night...

Then she frowned as a creeping chill ran over her flesh and she looked harder into the gloom:

_Did something move down there?_

Penelope was still looking into the shadows.

_And he stepped out, just for a moment._

She caught her breath, staring into the garden half covered by dusk... _someone_... she was sure she saw someone, a shape in the shadows, _a man?_

_From the bedroom window it was impossible to tell who it was._

Her heart beat a little faster as she took a deep breath and reminded herself the gate was locked, the walls around the house were high - apart from one side where the hedges grew, but they were thorny and no one would be able to get through that...

_The only way in was through the gate._

_She had good security._

_The house had always been safe ever since she had come to live here again, when she was older, after her parent's deaths._

_She had a panic button in the bedroom that could summon the police if anyone tried to break in._

_When she had first moved back here she had considered getting security staff, but then she had changed her mind because she was sure the tighter she made security, the more of a prison her own home would become. Her parents wouldn't have wanted her to live like that..._

Penelope glanced back at Sylvester, who was sleeping deeply.

She guessed the only person who could still gain access to this place without buzzing the gate was Clyde, because he still had a key, purely because in the heat of the moment she had forgotten to ask for it back.

_Perhaps he wanted to talk to her..._

She walked quietly from the bedroom, taking one last glance back at Sylvester, feeling as if walking away from him to face this alone was like turning her back on her only safety...

Then she closed the door behind her and went quietly down the stairs, heart pounding as she tried to push away a sense of creeping dread that she couldn't explain:

_It was Clyde, it had to be._

_It couldn't be anyone else._

_It was Clyde and she was going to talk to him and ask him to leave..._

She kept reminding herself of that fact all the way up to the front door - _because it didn't matter if it was dark, it didn't matter that the shadows in the gloomy garden suddenly seemed so sinister, because the bogeyman only existed in her imagination, he wasn't real..._

* * *

As she reached the front door and began unlocking it, her heart was still pounding.

Penelope tried to stay firmly in the real world instead of the one where her nightmares took her back to:

_There were no monsters; only bad dreams. _

_And that had all been a very long time ago..._

She stepped out onto the porch, giving a shiver in her thin dress even though the night air was still warm. She hadn't even thought about getting ready for bed yet because Sylvester had been sprawled out all over her bed and in such a deep sleep she had just let him sleep on, knowing he needed the rest.

It was almost eight thirty now and evening was creeping slowly towards nightfall and all she could see as she looked up the path were shadows lining the way up to the old iron gate.

She drew in a breath and took a step forward then another, each one became easier but at the same time those steps reminded her of the distance between herself and the house and she was sure she would lose her nerve if she looked back.

The heels of her strappy summer shoes hit the ground softly as she slowly walked down the shady path.

A rustle from the trees made her stop in the middle of the path.

She caught her breath again and shivered as she looked around and saw nothing but shadow.

"Who's there?" She called out, just about finding her voice before fear threatened to choke it off, "Clyde, if that's you this _isn't _funny! _Come out, let me see you!"_

_As she took in a breath her chest felt tight as if the air around her was running out and she knew she was on the brink of panic; this had been a stupid thing to do, to come out here alone in the dark...but Sylvester was sleeping, he had been unwell and it just didn't seem right to wake him up just because she was scared...of what? Clyde coming back for another stupid quarrel?_

She heard a sound, the sound of footsteps as a person stepped aside.

_He was standing on the pathway now, blocking the view of the gate beyond that led to the street outside. _

_She couldn't see his face or much of his body at all because it was covered by a long black cape and the hood came down so far his face was in shadow just like the trees at dusk seemed to carry shades of the night beneath their heavy boughs. _

She breathed in sharply and as the words came out they were almost choked away by the fear that made her throat go tight as if his hands were already about her throat.

"_No..."_ She stared at darkened figure, who took another step closer and then just stood there...

"_No!"_ She said again, _"The Hooded Claw?"_

Penelope turned and broke into a run.

The open door was getting closer and closer and she ran and ran, keeping her eyes fixed on it.

"_HELP!"_ She screamed, _"Help me, somebody!"_

As she ran he ran, he ran _fast_, she could almost feel his breath on the back of her neck and she raced in through the open door, tripping on the rug as her shoe caught the carpet.

Penelope fell to the floor with a thump and opened her mouth to scream again, but he was on her now, his knee heavy against the middle of her body, choking off all air as he leaned closer, laughing in a low voice as he lowered a strip of tape and firmly sealed her mouth with it.

He cuffed her hands in front of her and then wrapped a roll of tape around her ankles, binding them together.

She tried to make a muffled cry but all she could do was look up at the hooded figure in terror as she fought to breathe through her nose while her heart hammered in her chest and she shook with fear.

"_It's been a long time, Penelope!"_ He said in a low, hissing voice as he stood over her.

Despite her fear, Penelope frowned as it dawned on her that something was not adding up:

_This was not the Hooded Claw from her nightmares, not the figment of her imagination. And he was definitely not Sylvester gone crazy again, she had recognized Sylvester on that night he had attacked her so long ago...but this man was a total stranger..._

"_I'm the real one."_ He whispered, _"The real Hooded Claw!"_

Penelope gave a muffled cry as he grabbed hold of her bound ankles and dragged her out of the house, down the porch steps and up the darkened pathway.

"_I killed your parents_." He said in a low voice_, "And now I've come back for you..."_

She was out of the gate, the world was in darkness and all she could see was the sky above her sliding away as she was dragged roughly onwards.

Suddenly he dropped her ankles and grabbed her by the shoulders instead, lifting her painfully and making her scream against her gag.

_She was being thrown into the back of a waiting car._

The moon was out by now and as she looked at the car all she saw was dark, scratched paintwork...she had never seen this vehicle before...

Then the door slammed shut and the hooded figure jumped into the driver's seat, turned on the engine and auto locked the doors.

The car took off into the night with a squeal of rubber on tarmac; _Penelope was gone..._

* * *

Sylvester Sneekly had been sleeping deeply and as he awoke he was sure he heard the sound of a car taking off at great speed.

He sat up and felt no dizziness and that came as a relief.

"Penelope?" He said aloud, still feeling groggy from sleep.

The room was silent.

He turned on the light, blinked as his eyes got used to the brightness and looked around the bedroom.

"_Penelope?"_ He said again.

There was still no answer so he got up and put on his shirt and then his shoes and walked out of the bedroom.

He turned on the hallway light and then held on carefully to the rail as he went down the stairs; he seemed to be feeling much better now but he wouldn't be back on his meds until the morning and he wasn't about to take any chances because if he had a seizure now he would fall and probably kill himself because these stairs were steep...

When he reached the bottom he turned on another light, looking around the empty downstairs hallway.

"Where _are_ you?" He wondered aloud, then as he looked towards the front door his eyes widened as he got a bad feeling that crept through his insides and pulled them tight:

_The front door was wide open..._

Sylvester looked around the hallway hoping to find a note_, anything_ that would tell him there was a logical explanation for this.

Then he guessed maybe she had needed something and had gone out while he was sleeping.

He went back through the house and out to the garage, feeling sure if Penelope had gone to town for something she would have taken the car at this time of night _– but her pink car was parked in the garage where she had left it..._

He left the garage and walked around the side of the house, calling her name again.

Then he reached the shaded pathway and as he did so he stopped and stared:

_The gate was open..._

"_Penelope!" _He called out, hurrying down the pathway.

But as the gate opened with a creak and he looked out he could see clearly up and down both sides of the street and there was no sign of her...

He went back up the path and into the house once more, deciding to search the place from top to bottom before he jumped to any conclusions- this was a big house and there could be many rational explanations why he couldn't find her, and he had to eliminate those possibilities first before he made the very last move he _ever_ wanted to make –to call the cops and tell them she was missing - _because with his past history he would immediately become their number one suspect..._

* * *

The car came to a halt.

It stopped so fast Penelope was bumped about on the back seat, but she was bound and gagged so tightly she could do nothing but manage weak muffled cries that no one but her captor could hear.

He got out of the car.

Penelope scanned the interior of the vehicle but saw nothing she could use to grab and try and loosen her bonds, there was nothing in here at all. This car looked like a wreck; the leather seats were ripped and everything looked old.

_Was this a stolen car?_

She wasn't sure why she had wondered that because suddenly she had no more time to think as the passenger door opened up and she found herself looking up at him.

She screamed into her gag again:

_It was him, The Hooded Claw..._

He was different to her nightmares and she knew this was _not_ Sylvester masquerading as her nightmare man because he was asleep upstairs and she had seen _this_ man in the garden from the bedroom window, while Sylvester had been in the same room fast asleep...

He reached for her and grabbed her by her hair, her back was flat on the passenger seat and she struggled but it made no difference, because this man was strong.

He pulled her by her hair until her head and shoulders were hanging out of the open passenger door.

Then she gave a muffled cry of alarm as he unrolled some string.

"I'm _not _going to kill you with this." He told her, I'm going to do something _else_."

She screamed against her gag again.

"_Shut up bitch!" _The hooded man yelled, then he took in a breath and composed himself.

"_Shut up or I'll hurt you! Listen to me; I'm going to tell you exactly what happens next..."_

Penelope struggled to breathe as she half lay hanging out of the car, looking up at him:

_Even now she saw no face beneath his hood, only darkened shadow..._

"I am going to tie this string to the open window of your door." He said, looping it around the window and tying it on, "The other end will tie to the locked handle of the front passenger door..."

And he finished tying it off, so the door was held open.

_Then he laughed darkly._

"Then I'm going to give this car a little push down this steep slope and you will roll all the way to the bottom where the car will go off the road and narrowly pass through that gap far down below, between two trees. The force of this impact will break the string, slamming the door against your neck - _and chop off your pretty head!_"

Penelope's eyes grew wide as she gave a muffled scream and struggled in vain.

He was at the back of the car now, he was pushing it and the vehicle was moving forward slowly.

As it moved she saw the upside down view of the dark, steep hill and the trees beyond it.

The car began to roll, slowly at first and then gaining speed as it hit a bump and her head was slammed against the open door. Her long hair was trailing in the dirt a fraction from the moving wheels and the car was rolling downwards and she was screaming into the gag.

_Then loud music split the air for a second, someone yelled her name and ran down the slope, grabbing the door on the driver's side and pulling it open._

He dived in and slammed on the brakes and the car came to a sharp halt.

Penelope was staring up the darkened sky, barely breathing as she wondered what was going to happen next. All she knew was she had been about to die, she _still_ expected to die...

Then the driver got out and hurried around to the passenger side.

He ripped the tape from her mouth and pushed the catch free, unlocking the cuffs that held her wrists.

She dragged in a deep breath and stared in shock at her rescuer.

"_Clyde?"_

He helped her to sit up and then he quickly unwrapped the tape from her ankles. As he did that he glanced around but saw no one.

"_I came over to the house to talk to you. I saw this guy dragging you into his car so I followed. Oh God Penelope, you could have been killed!"_

She gave a sob and felt instantly safe once more as Clyde put his arms around her and gave her a brief hug.

"Come on," He said, "Lets get out of here. I think I scared him off, let's just get in Chuggaboom and get you back home."

He tried to help her from the car but Penelope managed to stand and as she looked at him she knew she was grateful, of course she was- but although she appreciated his help, it changed nothing; _she was in love with Sylvester now..._

"Thank you," She said to him, "But I'm okay. I can walk."

All the same he still insisted on keeping his arm around her as she got into Chuggaboom.

* * *

Clyde kept the music off as he started the engine and they drove away from the hill, turning onto the road that would lead back to Penelope's house.

She gave a sigh and leaned back against the seat as she closed her eyes.

_And Clyde gave a sly smile as he kicked his hooded disguise further under the driver's seat, ensuring it was properly out of sight..._

As they drove she ached all over and she wanted nothing more to be home and safe once more.

She looked at Clyde and blinked away tears.

_"You saw him?"_

Clyde nodded.

"Sure I did. I mean, I was parked at a distance but I saw a guy grab hold of you."

_"You saw the Hooded Claw?"_

Clyde glanced away from the road.

"The what?"

_"The Hooded Claw. He was wearing a black cape with a hood and I couldn't see his face..."_

Clyde stared at her and shook his head and then looked back at the road once more.

"This Hooded Claw stuff has _really_ screwed with your head, Penelope.._.I saw a guy in a ski mask with a gun_."

Penelope looked at him sharply.

"He _didn't_ have a gun, Clyde! I _know_ what I saw; I was the one who got abducted! And he didn't have a ski mask! _He was wearing a cape with a hood and I couldn't see his face!_"

_Clyde was still watching the road, resisting the urge to smile as he felt sure his plan was beginning to work..._

"You've been seeing a guy in hood since your parents were murdered, Penelope. We both know that's _not_ what happened here tonight. He was some random chancer- a pervert or even a kidnapper- he's probably been watching you for quite some time."

"I know what I saw." She said quietly, feeling as if her mind was threatening to fall to pieces inside her head, _"I saw him clearly. He had a hooded cape!"_

"Well you might not want to tell anyone that or people will start thinking you're going crazy all over again." He said quietly, "Because I saw him too and he was a guy in a ski mask , a stranger trying to abduct you - I don't know why, maybe he wanted to kill you, maybe he was a pervert or maybe he'd found out how much money you're worth. But what ever it was, there is_ no_ Hooded Claw, Penelope. _Stop that crazy talk_."

Then they drove in silence for a few moments before he spoke again:

"I know you've been through a lot but we should go to the police about this. _Because I think we both know who the most likely suspect is!_"

She felt bruised and sore from her ordeal but her pain vanished as anger took over and she glared hard at him.

"_You're saying it was Sylvester? No, Clyde - it wasn't him and I can prove it too!_ I saw the man who grabbed me while I was looking out of the bedroom window! I saw him down there in the shadows and all the while Sylvester was in the same room, he was on _my_ bed, sleeping because he was getting over his seizure! _So keep him out of this!_"

They pulled up outside the house and Penelope got out of the car.

Clyde got out too, following down the pathway to the open front door.

_"Penelope!"_

Sylvester came out of the hallway and joined her on the porch; he took one look at her scratches and the dirt in her hair and put his arms around her tightly as he glared at Clyde.

"_What have you done?"_

Penelope looked up at Sylvester and explained at once.

"He's done _nothing!_ He came over to apologize to me and he saw some guy drag me off in a car. _He saved me_. And before you even suggest it, we can't go to the cops."

Sylvester stared at her.

"I was just about to call them because I couldn't find you! What the hell happened tonight?"

Penelope looked at Clyde, then back at Sylvester and tears filled her eyes:

_If she breathed one word of this to the cops, Sylvester would be their number one suspect simply because of his past..._

"Some guy tried to abduct me. Clyde scared him off. If I tell the cops they might try and put _you_ in the frame, Sylvester!"

Then Penelope looked back at Clyde.

"You'd better go. Thanks for helping me tonight."

Clyde noticed the way she had her arms wrapped around Sylvester.

"Okay." He said quietly, "Take care of yourself, Penelope."

Then he turned and walked back towards the gate, and with his back turned Penelope did not see the smile on his face:

_His plan was starting to work: It wouldn't take long to turrn Penelope would be a nervous wreck, because she would soon be having another visit from The Hooded Claw..._

* * *

Sylvester closed the front door and put the locks on, then he held Penelope tightly in his arms as she sobbed.

"I'm _so_ sorry!" He said as he stroked her hair, "I should have been there for you. I feel so useless! I could have protected you if I hadn't been so tired because of that stupid seizure!"

Hearing him speak so harshly about things he had no power to change made her forget her own situation for a moment.

She pulled back a little and looked into his eyes.

"That's not your fault! You didn't know this was going to happen!"

Sylvester gave her another hug, then he gently kissed her.

"From now on," He told her, "If you see or hear anything suspicious, you _don't_ investigate it by yourself! You'll do nothing except call the cops, can you promise me that?"

Penelope nodded.

Sylvester put his arm around her waist and they made their way towards the stairs.

"I'm going to run you a hot shower and then we're going to bed." He told her, "And I'll hold you close to me all night long. And don't worry about prowlers hanging around any more- you're safe now and I'm going to make sure you stay that way."

"_Thanks."_ She said quietly as they climbed the stairs together.

Sylvester's closeness helped to reassure her, but as much as she loved him she knew she couldn't tell him the truth about the man who had abducted her, not after what had happened all those years ago when he had been sick:

_The Hooded Claw was a name Sylvester never needed to hear again..._


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Sylvester woke up alone in bed and he sat up sharply.

He was about to call Penelope's name but then he heard the water running in the bathroom and he gave a sigh of relief; _at least she was only in the next room..._

It was morning and bright with it; the sunshine was streaming through the window and one glance outside told him in daylight the world looked nothing like the horrible place it had become last night; it seemed as if nothing bad could happen when the sun was shining, morning was a bright and happy place where monsters both real and imagined were not welcome at all...

He got out of bed and walked over to the bathroom, pushing the door open quietly.

Penelope was in the shower and the room was full of steam and he smiled as he quietly went up to her.

_He slid the curtain back._

Penelope almost slipped as her hand hit the wall to steady herself.

_Then she screamed._

"It's only me!"

Sylvester grabbed her and held her in his arms as the water ran over both of them and she sobbed as she trembled and her heart pounded with fear all over again.

Penelope let go of him and turned off the water.

Her face was as pale as the tiled wall and her fair hair hung in wet tendrils as she looked at him with frightened eyes.

"_Don't sneak up on me again!"_

Sylvester let go of her.

"I didn't _mean _to make you jump!"

He made a move to give her another hug but she grabbed a towel and wrapped it around herself then picked up a smaller one and started to dry her hair.

"You don't understand how afraid I was last night."

"I _do _understand."

"_No you don't!"_

Penelope left the damp towel on the floor and with her hair still wet walked out of the bathroom, leaving Sylvester standing alone in the steamy room as he got the strangest feeling that she was keeping something back from him; he knew she said someone tried to abduct her, but she had avoided going into detail. Last night all she had wanted to do was cling to him with the light on before eventually falling asleep in the early hours of the morning.

_She had been too silent about what had happened..._

Sylvester grabbed the towel from the floor and dried himself off before going back into the bedroom.

"_Talk to me, Penelope."_

She was wearing a bathrobe now, a small, pink bathrobe that barely covered her thighs and under any other circumstances he felt sure he would have led her back over to that bed and her bathrobe would have been off in a split second, but for now those thoughts had to wait because as he watched her through the mirror as she combed her long hair, he caught a flicker in her eyes that told him he was right, there _was_ more:

Penelope didn't just look scared by what had happened - _she looked haunted_...

Sylvester stayed silent as he began to get dressed.

Penelope also said nothing as she brushed her hair and then put on some makeup.

By the time Sylvester was dressed and had put on his tie, she still hadn't said a word.

"_We need to talk about last night."_

Penelope had been sitting at that dressing table with her thoughts far back in a past that was now laid to rest and she felt as if she had been digging up old bones to think about it all over again.

She got up and looked into Sylvester's eyes.

And as she looked at him, seeing the man she loved, the man who had spent fifteen years of his life locked away because a brain tumor made him go crazy, made him become the man of her nightmares, she knew she coudn't tell him everything.

_The past was over now, but what could it cost him this time around, what would it do to him after all he had been through if she said those two words that had once been responsible for destroying his life?_

Two words, it was just two words but she couldn't say it to him:

_Hooded Claw..._

He was looking at her with so much love and concern in her eyes it was breaking her heart.

"Please, Penelope." He said softly, "I just want to know what happened, I need to know you're okay..."

She felt as if her heart was weighing heavy as lead as she spoke again and the thought that she was lying to him hurt her more than he could ever know, but she knew for certain that protecting him from this was the wisest move to make.

She gently ran her fingers thorough his hair, pausing to run her fingertips over the deep surgical scar beneath his hairline.

"_It was dark." _She said quietly, _"I barely saw the guy at all. He was a stranger; he grabbed me and dragged me into his car. Clyde happened to be in the right place at the right time and he rescued me."_

"And that's _all_ there is to it?"

"Yes! And it was a scary experience and I _don't_ want to talk about it again."

Then she slid her hands over his shoulder and moved closer, kissing him gently.

As she pulled back she ached for more but today other matters needed to be taken care of –like checking the shipping details on all of Clyde's dealings with her company...

"I'll be ten minutes." She told him, "I'll get dressed and then we can go over to Pitstop Shipping and I'll go through the company files with you."

"Okay." He said, "I'll take my meds and I'll be ready to leave."

Sylvester went into the bathroom and took his medication, then he put the pill bottle in his jacket.

Then his cell phone rang.

He answered it and smiled as he recognised the caller's voice.

"Morning, Snoozy!"

"I was just wondering if you needed some help today?" Snoozy sounded nervous.

"Do you know anything about shipping records?" He wondered.

There was a pause.

"Well no, but-"

"So stay home and take care of the bar. Don't worry about a thing, Snoozy. It's not as if we have to break into this place –Penelope owns the company, she can walk in there any time she likes!"

Snoozy sounded disappointed.

"It's just that I know I should have told you about Clyde sooner and I wish there was something I could do to help."

"You've done more than enough." Sylvester promised him, "Just go back to work and don't worry about anything, okay?"

_"Okay."_ Snoozy still sounded disappointed as he ended the call.

Sylvester left the bathroom and put his phone back in his pocket.

"That was Snoozy. He wanted to come with us but I told him to stay home-"

He stopped, staring at Penelope, who was dressed in a tight pink dress that barely covered her thighs and hugged her body in all the right places. This only drew more attention to her shiny, high heeled white boots and he was sure he regretted the fact that they were about to leave – _if this trip tothe shipping company wasn't so important , they wouldn't be going anywhere right now..._

_"You look beautiful!" _He exclaimed.

Penelope smiled.

"Thank you."

She gave Sylvester a kiss and then picked up her car keys.

"Let's go and take a look at those shipping records." She said, wanting this to be over with once and for all, hoping that they would find nothing so they could forget the rumors about Clyde's business dealings and just get on with their lives...

* * *

When Penelope's car arrived at the Pitstop Shipping building, they both got out of the car and went inside.

And across the street, Clyde was watching from a distance.

"_Why the hell is Sylvester going in there?"_ He wondered aloud.

Then he thought about it – _had Penelope offered him his old job back?_

It made sense, considering how close they had become...

This only served to cause Clyde more worry; with Sylvester back at Pitstop Shipping he knew this could put his business dealings in danger:

_Sylvester would check the records for sure. _

_He didn't know what kind of business man Sylvester was after fifteen years in jail but he knew for sure he must have been young when he became business partner to Penelope's father- he must have been some young hot shot who had more than a dash of talent for the job..._

Clyde still had his gazed fixed on the entrance to the shipping company.

The more he thought about Sylvester, the more he knew he had to get rid of him – and as soon as possible - _and the best way to do that was to first find out exactly where he was living these days, because that would be the first step to arranging a nasty accident..._

Clyde waited in the car, not caring if they took all day in there:

_He was going to tail Penelope for as long as it took, until he found out where Sneekly lived..._

* * *

Once they were up on the top floor that lead to Penelope's office, and after Penelope spoke sweetly to the secretary who she hadn't seen for quite a while, they went inside.

Penelope locked the door behind her and switched on her computer.

She was about to sit down when Sylvester stepped in and took a seat at her desk.

"What are you doing?" She wondered.

"Nothing yet." He told her, "I kept up to date with technology while I was in jail but I can't get into this thing without your password –I'm _not_ a hacker."

Penelope leaned over him and typed in her password.

"Do you want me to –"

"I can find my way." He said confidently, and clicked through several options and pulled up the shipping records, then he found the McDonald records and started to search through them.

Penelope carried on leaning over his shoulder, so close she could feel the warmth of his skin and smell the scent of it and as he noticed how close she had become he glanced at her and smiled.

"I'm almost done." He promised her.

Then he selected files for printing and sat back.

"You wouldn't see it unless you were looking for it." He told her, "But there's _definitely_ something going on. I can see a pattern emerging with these shipments – dates times, the ports where the goods depart...the cops would see this as suspicious. But _only_ if they were looking to find it."

He snatched up the copied data from the printer.

"Where's the paperwork? There's always a paper trail and I need _all_ of it."

Penelope went over to a filing cabinet and took out Clyde's file.

"What do you want it for?"

Then her eyes grew wider as she watched Sylvester over ride the system and tap in a code she was unfamiliar with after highlighting every single digital record of the McDonald transactions.

As they deleted, she gave a gasp.

"You just wiped _all_ Clyde's records off the company system?"

"That's right." He said as he got up and took the paperwork from her.

She was still staring at him.

"_How did you do that?"_

He smiled.

"I'm not a hacker but I do have a _few_ tricks up my sleeve."

And he leaned closer and briefly kissed her.

"That's it; your company now has no records left of your dealings with Clyde McDonald. We can get out of here now."

Penelope signed out of the system and turned the computer off.

As they walked out of her office, Sylvester wondered about something.

"Don't you _ever _come into work these days?"

"Now and then." Penelope replied "But I have reliable people working for me –most of them used to work for my parents too, so I know it's all in good hands. I keep my eye on the company but that's about all I do these days. I keep planning to take more of an active role but something_ else_ always comes up and then I put off the idea yet again."

"So you don't need any extra staff?"

She laughed.

"Do you _want_ your old job back?"

Sylvester smiled.

"Not right now, I'm happy working for Sparks. That's enough for me."

And he put his arm around her and they headed for the elevator.

* * *

When Penelope's pink car left Pitstop Shipping, Clyde followed behind at a safe distance weaving behind other cars, making sure he wasn't spotted.

He followed Penelope all the way down the highway, turning off into the town and then winding through some streets, eventually turning into the road that led to the Moonlight Bar.

He watched as Sylvester got out of the car, then leaned in the driver's side and kissed Penelope.

Then as she said goodbye he stepped back and she drove off.

Clyde gripped the wheel tighter as he glared at Sylvester- it was nothing to do with the fact that he had just kissed Penelope – he had just noticed Sylvester had gone into Pitstop Shipping carrying nothing but was now going home with a pile of paperwork...

He wondered again, had he just got his old job back?

Then Clyde stared at the man who came out of the bar and greeted him.

"_I'll be damned..."_ He murmured, seeing a face had not laid eyes on for fifteen years:

_Snoozy was working at the bar?_

_The same place where Sylvester was staying?_

_Those two guys knew each other?  
_

He watched as the two men went inside together and then his eyes darkened:

_Snoozy knew everything about him._

_And with Sylvester back at Pitstop shipping and so close to Penelope, it was all adding up to a disaster waiting to happen._

_Something had to be done..._

He had made his decision now; something _would_ be done, and soon because he had a shipment coming in tomorrow and he needed Sneekly out of the picture forever, before he worked out what was going on...

Then Clyde turned the car around and took off at speed, determined to get back to Penelope's house before she did, because his plans for Snoozy and Sylvester could wait - he still had a set of keys to Penelope's house and he needed to get in there before she arrived home - _because the Hooded Claw would soon have another surprise waiting for her..._

* * *

Penelope did not rush home.

She drove into town, she parked the car and she went shopping.

She tried to push the thoughts far from her mind that caused her blood to run cold:

Clyde and his suspicious dealings that seemed to point to the worst she could imagine, the thought that he had lied to her and deceived her for so long...and of course, the hooded man who had grabbed her in the dark...

_Hooded Claw..._

The memory of her attacker haunted her as sure as if he had whispered his way inside her head and started to haunt her like a ghost, like that man of her nightmares in the dark days after her parents had been murdered...

Questions revolved around in her mind all the while she shopped for perfume and underwear and then went into a shoe shop and tried on a new pair of boots:

_He had said he killed her parents and now he had come back for her..._

_But the murders were not a secret it had made the news- anyone could have said that to her, it didn't mean he was her parent's murderer._

_She tried to tell herself that Clyde was right; her attacker was just some random guy who had pounced on her._

_But he seemed to know so much..._

Penelope decided to buy the boots.

She paid for the boots with her credit card and left the store moments later and headed back to her car.

She was still thinking about him:

_Hooded Claw._

If he was not the Hooded Claw, then who _else_ could he be?

_But the Hooded Claw was a man her own imagination had created, a response to her parent's murder._

_There was no Hooded Claw..._

She sat in her car and thought about everything all over again, wishing she could talk to Sylvester about it but feeling sure he was much better off not having such terrible reminders of the past.

"_How could he know about the Hooded Claw?"_ She wondered as she thought about her attacker, _"No one knows I called him that..."_

Then she drove off, heading for home, glad to be getting there while it was still light, because after what had happened she was sure she would _never_ want to be alone in that house in the dark again...

* * *

Clyde had parked his car far from the house and then let himself in through the gate, he hurried up the shady pathway and went in through the front door, then he laughed as he put those useful spare keys back in his pocket.

He went straight up the stairs, into Penelope's bedroom to wait for her to arrive.

He had everything he needed:

_Rope and tape..._

He walked into the bathroom and looked around, taking in the bright white room with the tiled walls and the pink towels folded so neatly over the heated rails, making the only splash of color in the room.

He thought about how terrified she would be when she saw him standing there and he guessed this ought to be enough to drive her over the edge.

_If this didn't work she would break soon enough after she found out her boyfriend was dead. _

He had already decided what to do about Snoozy and Sylvester:

_He would wait until tomorrow night after the shipment had safely arrived and then go over there when it was late and the bar was closed and then he would set the place on fire._

He figured one fire bomb through the window of the downstairs bar ought to be enough to burn the place to the ground, it was old and buildings _that _old burned well once a fire got going - _Snoozy and Sneekly would be trapped upstairs; they'd have no chance to get out of there alive..._

_Maybe after today, Penelope wouldn't come back here to the house again._

_Maybe she would go over to the bar and stay with Sneekly._

_Maybe she would be there with him when the place went up in flames.  
_

But after seeing him come out of Pitstop Shipping with the papers in his hand, after finding out Sneekly knew Snoozy, he was getting to a point where Penelope's life was less and less important to him.

He was sure he could manage without her money and if the worst happened, find a new shipping company – but he had to cover his tracks and while there was still a chance he could get back with Penelope, he was going to try for it.

_But if she happened to be in the bar tomorrow night it would be her own bad luck because Sneekly and Snoozy had to go..._

Clyde buttoned up the long black cape and pulled up the hood, covering his features.

_Then he stepped into the shower and pulled the curtain closed, waiting for Penelope to come home..._

* * *

On arriving home Penelope walked up the path towards the front door.

She was carrying her shopping bags and as she went up the path she found her fears began to slide away:

By daylight the path was dappled with sunlight that escaped through the tree boughs and on looking around she saw no threats lurking, because in daylight everything was visible here.

She also remembered she had her cell phone in her pocket; she could easily reach for it and call for help if she got the slightest hint of anything suspicious.

_She recalled the way that maniac had grabbed her and a shiver ran down her spine..._

_He had worn a hooded cape._

_But Clyde had said he hadn't seen that._

She knew she couldn't trust Clyde but she also knew how her parent's death had affected her; the Hooded Claw was'nt real, he was a figment of her imagination...of _course_ she had seen him when that guy had grabbed her, she was afraid at the time...that made sense.

All the same, when she walked up the steps to the porch and slid her key into the lock, she looked back sharply, just to be sure - but of course, no one was there behind her...

Penelope took in a deep breath and turned the key, then went inside, left her bags by the door and closed it firmly.

_The house was silent_.

But the house was always silent when she was alone; it just seemed different because of what had happened...

Penelope walked up the hallway and went into the kitchen.

Thoughts were still crowding her mind, but now they were thoughts of the past:

_A hooded stranger stepping into her parent's bedroom and firing two shots into their sleeping bodies..._

_She shook her head, determined to cancel out the dark memories._

She could have sold this house long ago and cut ties with the past once and for all - but she had _never_ wanted to do that, to allow the gunman to win - because if she did that she was sure she would spend the rest of her life looking over her shoulder, always afraid, knowing he was still out there somewhere...

_No, it hadn't been him, not their killer._

_Clyde had to be right; who ever that man had been, he had grabbed her by chance. _

_He wasn't the Hooded Claw_. _Her mind had dreamed that up..._

Penelope opened the fridge and took out some chilled lemonade and poured herself a tall glass, then the put the bottle back in the fridge.

She stood there for a moment thinking about how hot the day had become, about how much she needed a shower to cool off - but instead she kicked off her boots and added some ice to her glass and went outside and sat in the garden.

As she sipped the iced lemonade she smiled as she thought about Sylvester; in time, when he was ready, she was sure he would move in with her. Unlike the on off relationship she had share with Clyde where she had never wanted to move forward, this was different:

_She could picture her and Sylvester living here together, being happy._

_She could see them getting married some day, having kids, too._

Penelope knew these things were a long way off because Sylvester had just got out of jail and he still needed to feel as if he was back here in a world that he belonged in; he needed time to adjust before making any big decisions.

But the time _would _come, she felt sure of it – _and this time, she was looking forward to sharing her life with the man she loved..._

The sun was still hot and seemed to be getting hotter.

Penelope left the glass on the table as the ice began to melt and went back into the house, stripping off her dress and leaving it where it fell on the kitchen floor.

She walked in her underwear to the bottom of the stairs and looked up, getting a strange feeling that she wasn't alone.

She thought about her cell phone left on the floor in the pocket of her dress and shook her head:

_If she let the paranoia get to her now, she would never be free of it..._

* * *

Penelope began to climb the stairs.

She kept her gaze fixed at the top of the staircase, her fears playing on her mind as she imagined a hooded figure jumping out at her all over again.

"_Stop it!"_ She whispered as she went on up the stairs_, "Get a grip, Penelope... you're all alone in here..."_

A floorboard creaked as she reached the top of the stairs and she caught her breath and almost toppled backwards.

Gripping the rail to get her balance she stepped on the old loose board again and heard another creak that reassured her and drove her fears far from her mind:

_Yes, she had done that herself..._

Penelope took a deep breath and walked down the upper hall, towards her bedroom and the bathroom beyond it.

As she opened the bathroom door she hesitated, then she gave a sigh and decided she could take off her underwear in here just as well as in the bedroom, so she stood in the middle of the room and reached around to unhook her bra straps.

Then as she stopped, freezing in movement as her eyes grew wider, she felt sure it had to be another one of _those_ moments where her eyes played tricks on her:

She could see it but she wanted to make sense of it in such a way that she would _stop_ shaking with fear, that her blood would warm back up and stop turning to ice...

_The shower curtain had just moved._

_Maybe it was the breeze from the open –_

_She cancelled that thought; the bathroom window was tightly shut..._

Penelope drew in a tight breath as she kept her gaze on the shower curtain that hung there looking pale with a faint pattern of roses printed all over it.

_There was no one behind it, there was no one hiding in the shower, waiting to jump out on her..._

She stood in front of the closed shower curtain.

_"There's nobody here."_ She whispered as her shaking hand reached out to grab the curtain.

She hesitated, glancing over her shoulder:

_No one else was here._

_She was alone in the bathroom._

_All she had to do was pull open that shower curtain and prove it to herself..._

Penelope grabbed the curtain and pulled it aside.

He sprang forward dressed in black with his face hidden, pouncing on her and knocking her to the ground as his hand over her mouth choked off her scream:

It was him - _The_ _Hooded Claw._

Her head ached from the way she had hit the tiled floor and for a moment the world blurred but then as she felt the weight of him pinning her down, she knew he was very real.

_He was real and he was in the room with her._

_He was here to kill her..._

He taped her mouth again.

She kicked and struggled and his fist slammed against the side of her face, stunning her long enough to give him time to bind her wrists and then her ankles.

Penelope felt an ache spreading through her face and she blinked, trying to breathe through her nose because the gag had covered her mouth just like before.

She looked up at him but his face was still in shadow.

_"This time,"_ He hissed, _"No one will save you, Penelope Pitstop!"_

And he lifted her into his arms.

Fear had made her grow weak and as he carried her over to the bath tub her eyes grew wider.

"It's time to say farewell, Penelope!" He told her, turning on the water and lowering her into the tub.

She looked up at him with terrified eyes as she gave a choked off scream behind her gag and fought in vain to free her bonds:

_She got it now; he had tied her up and put her in the bath and now the water was running._

_She was trapped flat on her back as the water continued to run into the tub, the level slowly rising._

_He was standing over her watching the water rise, watching her struggle._

_He was going to watch her drown..._

The water level was still rising, covering her shoulders, creeping over her body and the harder she struggled the tighter her bonds became, the more she cried for help the less air she could take in because of the gag and all she could see was the Hooded Claw standing over the tub waiting for her to drown.

He reached down and ran a gloved finger down her bare flesh.

"We could have had a _lot_ of fun today." He whispered, "But I decided it would be much _more_ fun to give you a slow and horrible death, Penelope..."

And then his gloved hand moved up to her throat, as he squeezed and pushed her head under the water her muffled scream was choked off as she struggled for air, thrashing about with her head under water, hearing nothing but the sound of the water as it continued to run and feeling nothing but the choking pain of suffocation as he squeezed her harder and held her head to the bottom of the tub until the last of the air bubbles escaped from her nose.

Then he let go and she rose to the surface, dragging in water and air and choking and fighting for breath.

"If I do that one more time," He whispered, "I do believe I'll kill you_. Let's find out, shall we?_"

And he shoved her head under the water again.

Penelope weakly fought back, seeing nothing above her but the watery image of the hooded Claw leaning over her, holding her beneath the surface.

Then he pulled her upwards again and she tried to breathe.

She fell limp, losing consciousness.

He gently slid her back into the tub as he let out the water.

Penelope lay there bound and gagged in her underwear, her hair was soaking wet and her eyes were closed and she looked dead.

He peeled the gag from her mouth and her lips parted as she took in a sharp breath, coughed and began to breathe harder.

She was coming around now, so he leaned closer and ran his hand over her wet hair.

"_I'll get you next time, Penelope."_ He whispered in her ear, "Next time, I'll _kill_ you!"

He pulled back sharply as she dragged her eyes open, seeing a blurred image of her attacker leaning into the bath.

_Then with a swish of his dark cape he was gone._

* * *

The last of the water was draining away now.

Penelope dragged in a deep breath then another and another, then she gave a sob as she struggled to sit up and slipped back down again.

"_Please help me..."_ She sobbed quietly, unsure if he had left the room or if he was just standing back watching her suffer.

"_Please..."_

__Penelope took in another deep breath as she lay in the empty bath and then she screamed loudly.

Her scream echoed around the bathroom and no one heard her, even the Hooded Claw was not around now, he had set out to terrify her and he had succeeded...

She sat up again, yelled for help and slipped back again, smacking her head against the side of the wet tub.

Penelope saw a splash of colour and realized blood was running from the wound to her head, it was running down the side of the wet tub and mixing with droplets of water, running pink down the wet strands of her platinum hair.

She felt ice cold and the bonds were so tight she could barely move.

"_HELP ME!"_ She screamed again.

Her voice carried from the upper floor down the stairway, hitting emptiness and silence.

Penelope cried for help again, but the Hooded Claw had left her there and gone.

Another scream echoed from the upstairs bathroom as she lay tightly bound in the bath tub, but the house was empty now except for the echo of her screams; _Penelope was all alone now..._


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Sylvester was lying on his bed with his shirt off as the cool late afternoon breeze came through the window.

His eyes were closed and he smiled as he thought about how good he felt when he held Penelope in his arms:

_He hadn't expected to fall in love when he came out of jail. _

_Penelope had been the last person he had ever imagined that could happen with after the past they had shared. _

_When he thought back to the days and nights he had spent in jail, thinking about everything he couldn't change and regretting so much, he never would have believed it if someone had told him that woman he desperately wanted to apologize to would turn out to be the key to his happiness..._

The memory of her kiss stirred his senses and he ran his hand over his bare chest, recalling the way her lips had traced a path of kisses all over his body.

Then he opened his eyes and sat up, blinking away tears as he thought some more about a past that he still regretted which had never been brought closer to home than last night when a stranger had tried to abduct Penelope...

He looked into the mirror that stood on the dresser and studied his reflection in the glass, and Sylvester saw the man he had become, the man prison had turned him into:

_Older, muscular, tattooed... a man he barely recognized from his youth, a youth that had been stolen away by fifteen long years behind bars..._

But he was still Sylvester Sneekly, the guy who used to run Pitstop Shipping.

Deep down inside he knew he was still the shy young man who had barely been able to look Penelope in the eye because she was so pretty.

Then he thought about that dark mass that had taken over his mind, the tumor he knew nothing about that had driven him crazy.

_But he had no way of knowing that would happen, no way of knowing he was so sick that he would go crazy and almost kill Penelope..._

His eyes were still burning and he blinked to clear his vision.

There was nothing he could do to change the past - but he knew for sure he would do everything in his power to make the future wonderful, to bring happiness to the woman he loved every single day.

_And Penelope would be upset if she could see him now, crying over the past that she had long since laid to rest..._

_She had no idea how deeply he loved her._

He wiped his eyes and lay back down, taking in a deep breath as he wished he could just forget the past, forget he had ever gone crazy and attacked her all those years before.

He closed his eyes and kept his thoughts firmly in the present now, thinking only of her touch, the feel of her skin warm and her breath hot on his body as she held him and caressed him.

He stayed focussed on those thoughts; _this was the woman he loved, Penelope was beautiful with her clothes on and even better with them off..._

Sylvester slid his hand downwards, over his underwear and then gave a sigh as he felt his arousal growing at the thought of taking Penelope in his arms again.

The door opened.

"_Sorry!"_

Snoozy was standing there with his eyes wide, staring at Sylvester, who had his hand down his pants...

"I'm sorry!" Snoozy said again, "But... but you said I didn't have to knock when you're on your own! I guess you were _wrong_ about that!"

Sylvester felt his face heat up as he swiftly grabbed his clothes and started to get dressed.

"Sorry, Snoozy. I was just having a lie down, I was almost asleep."

"_With a hard on?"_

Sylvester pulled up his zip and buckled his belt and grabbed his shirt.

"I must have been having a _really_ hot dream about Penelope!"

And he turned away as he buttoned up his shirt, still feeling slightly embarrassed at being caught out like that; _Penelope was right, he needed to get used to locking his door around here..._

"What did you want, Snoozy?"

"Well you said you had some paperwork that looked suspicious, that proves what I told you about Clyde?"

Sylvester turned back to him.

"What about it?"

"I was just wondering when you're going to give it to Sparks?"

"When I see him on Friday. Right now I'm more concerned about Penelope."

And he thought about how terrified she had been after her encounter with the man who tried to abduct her. It didn't matter how much she insisted she was fine, he _still_ wasn't happy about sitting back and leaving her alone at a time like this, even if she wanted to prove to herself there was nothing to be afraid of...

Sylvester grabbed his jacket.

"I'm going over to Penelope's house. I can't sit here knowing she's all alone after what happened yesterday. I don't care how independent she wants to be – I _love_ that girl and she had a big fright yesterday, I want to make sure she's okay!"

"Want me to come with you?" Snoozy offered.

Sylvester smiled; by now he was used to Snoozy getting over his fear of Clyde and being more than willing to lend a hand, even if the prospect of bumping into the guy still scared him a little...

"No, I'm sure she's fine. I just want to go and see her."

* * *

A short while later Sylvester waited outside the bar and when the taxi pulled up he got in it and as the taxi drove away, Snoozy gave a sigh.

He still felt bad about how long he had held back on everything he knew; now he had told Sylvester he felt a lot safer about the whole thing; once Sparks knew about it he was sure something would be done:

_Sparks didn't like drug dealers. His eldest son had been high on drugs the night he crashed his car. He had died because of that accident. Sparks believed the only good drug dealer was a dead one..._

Snoozy started to polish the bar.

The glasses had been washed and put away and the tables were tidy and the carpet had been vacuumed.

He was thinking about going up to the apartment to have a nap when there was a knock on the door.

He stopped polishing the bar and gave a sigh.

"_We're closed!"_ He exclaimed, then he went around the bar and over to the main doors, unbolting one side of it to speak to the person who had knocked on the glass rather loudly.

As he opened the door his eyes grew wide.

"_Hi Snoozy."_ Said Clyde.

Snoozy froze in fear as Clyde shoved past him, went into the bar and closed the door behind him.

_"W...what do you want?"_ Snoozy said in a frightened voice.

Clyde turned sharply and Snoozy stepped back, catching his breath as his back hit the wall and he realized he had no where to run.

"I want to know what you've been saying about me to Penelope's boyfriend." Clyde replied, "Because we _both_ know you need to keep your mouth shut about me or things could get nasty for you."

Snoozy looked back at him with fear in his eyes.

_"I didn't tell him anything!"_ He protested,_ "I didn't say any –"_

The breath was knocked out of him as Clyde grabbed him by his collar and slammed him hard against the wall.

"Does he know about how I got my money? Does he know about the shootings?"

_Snoozy was on the brink of tears; he had never been a fighter and Clyde was every bit as intimidating as he had been back when they were kids..._

"What was Sylvester doing at Pitstop Shipping? He came out with papers in his hand – what's _that_ about?"

Snoozy tried to think fast - but thinking fast was _not_ one of his better abilities.

"_He...he...um...I think he...wanted to do some paperwork for Penelope. He wants his old job back."_

Clyde kept a tight hold of his collar.

"_I think there's more; I think you're hiding something."_

Snoozy shook his head as his eyes grew even wider.

"_I don't know anything!"_

Clyde screwed his hand into a fist and slammed it into Snoozy's cheek.

As Snoozy gave a whimper and slid to the floor, he stood over him, looking down at him and his hand was still balled into a solid fist.

_"Really?"_ He said coldly, _"Because I don't think you're telling me the truth..."_

And he leaned closer, grabbing hold of Snoozy, who tried to put his hands up to his face to protect himself, and then Clyde hit him again.

* * *

Sylvester got out of the taxi and pressed the buzzer beside Penelope's gate.

There was no reply and he pressed it again, getting the oddest feeling as once more she didn't reply.

He walked along the side of the property and guessed the only other way in would be through the hedgerows- they were thorny and this wouldn't be easy but he needed to know she was okay...

Glancing over the hedge he saw her pink car parked in the garage.

The door was open but there was no sign of Penelope.

He looked around, saw no one about and climbed up onto the low wall. Scrambling over the hedge was painful as thorns tore at his jacket and scratched his hands like razors and he hit the lawn on the other side with a thump that jarred his bones.

The backs of both his hands were scratched and bleeding and he stood up, pausing to pick thorns out of his arms that had had bit like tiny needles through the fabric of his suit.

Then he walked towards the garage, feeling stupid as he guessed he would walk in there and Penelope would be absolutely fine, she was probably out in the garden..._and she would stare at him in disbelief when she saw the state of him, when she saw he looked like he had just had a big fight with a thorny bush..._

Sylvester hurried into the garage.

The back door that led into the house was locked.

He took off his jacket and wrapped it around his hand, then punched out a small pane of glass.

The panel shattered and he gave his jacket a shake before putting it back on, then he put his hand through the open window and found the lock on the other side.

He was sure Penelope would understand when he explained how worried he was about her; _a small pane of glass was nothing compared to ensuring her safety..._

He opened the door and went through the laundry room and to the kitchen.

_The phone was ringing._

It switched to answer phone and he heard Melanie's voice echo up the hallway.

"Penelope, where are you? I've called your cell phone; I've called _this_ number six times! I just want to say I'm sorry about what happened at the barbecue. _Please call me back..._"

_Then the phone went silent._

Sylvester looked down and saw Penelope's dress on the floor by the kitchen doorway.

He left it there and ran out into the hall.

"Penelope?" He called out, "Are you in here?"

And he listened.

_He heard a vague, muffled sobbing._

_It was coming from upstairs._

He ran up the stairs, as he went along the upper hallway the sobbing got louder and he ripped open the bedroom door as his eyes grew wider with fear as he heard her sobbing loudly now; the sobs were coming from the bathroom but he couldn't see Penelope.

_"Penelope?"_ He called out again, rushing into the bathroom.

She weakly raised her head from the bathtub and gave another sob.

She had a small cut to the side of her head and her fair hair was streaked with blood. Her wrists and ankles were tied and she was in trapped in the tub and soaking wet wearing nothing but her underwear.

Sylvester grabbed hold of her and lifted her from the tub setting her down on the rug next to the shower.

_"Please help me."_ Penelope was sobbing.

"Okay I'll help...give me a minute."

Sylvester found scissors in the bathroom cabinet and quickly cut through her bonds and peeled the tape from her skin. Her fingers had been turning blue and as soon as he cut the bonds blood flowed back and her hands turned pink once more and she threw her arms around him and sobbed harder.

He stayed on his knees on the bathroom floor as she held onto him, he held her tightly wanting to do nothing more than remind her she was safe again.

"_Who did this?"_

His voice was low and rage burned in his eyes but Penelope kept on sobbing.

He gently took her face in his hands, raising it so her eyes were level with his own.

"Penelope," He said again, "Who did this?"

She sobbed again and shook her head.

_"I can't tell you...I don't want you to go crazy or get sick...I love you...no, I can't tell you..."_

"Yes you can! I'm _not _sick any more! Now tell me the truth, Penelope."

She looked into his eyes and began to shiver as she gave another sob and let out the words she had never wanted to share with him:

_"It was him! It was the Hooded Claw!"_

Those words sent a jolt down his spine, images flashed through his mind of Penelope much younger and having nightmares, then telling him about the Hooded Claw...

Sylvester had no memory of becoming the man from her bad dreams, either- but he had no memory of _anything_ back in the days when he had been sick...

_But all the same, that name still had the power to chill him..._

But Sylvester was not sick any more, he had recovered a long time ago and now his mind was trying to work some kind of logic into her statement.

_"Maybe I'm crazy..."_ She said tearfully as she clung to him.

"No you're not!" Sylvester promised her, "This guy who tried to abduct you? The same one did this to you? He said he was the Hooded Claw?"

Penelope nodded.

"I didn't want you to know that part, I love you too much to bring back bad memories for you..."

Sylvester got up from the floor and then helped Penelope to stand.

"Believe me, my dear – that name has _no_ power to harm me now! Who ever this guy is, he's _not_ the Hooded Claw. He was a figment of your imagination. This is someone who knows that and he's trying to frighten you with it. Think about it for a minute: _What has he said to you?_"

Penelope blinked back tears.

"_He said he killed my parents and now he's coming back for me!"_

Sylvester thought about it.

"If that's true and we have to assume it could be, this is some crazy guy who killed your parents and then waited years before he came after you – _why_ would he wait for so long? Has he just come out of jail, or has someone put him up to this? Maybe there's more than one person involved in this. _I know you don't want to think its true but after finding out what we know about Clyde it wouldn't surprise me if he's got a hand in it._"

Penelope stared at him.

"Clyde? But he _rescued_ me!"

"And where was this Hooded Claw guy while he was rescuing you?"

_"He ran off."_

Sylvester looked at her doubtfully.

"He ran off after going to all that trouble to try and abduct you? It doesn't add up, Penelope. I'm seeing Sparks tomorrow night. I'm giving him the paperwork and telling him all about Clyde. I'm sure he can help us."

He led her over to the shower and she flinched as he pulled the curtain aside.

"_He was hiding in there..."_

Sylvester switched the water on and kept the curtain wide open.

"You need to get cleaned up." He said gently, unhooking her bra straps and then sliding her wet underwear from her body.

"You have a shower. I'll be right her next to you all the time"

Penelope nodded and stepped into the shower. As the warm water danced over her skin and washed away the chill, she felt as if life was creeping back into her body and soul.

Sylvester leaned in and gently washed the blood from her hair and when she turned the water off he wrapped her in the largest towel he could find, then grabbed a smaller one and led her into the bedroom.

She sat down on the bed and he gently dried her hair, pausing to inspect the cut on the side of her head.

"You'll be okay." He told her, "It's not bleeding now. Just be careful how you brush it for a couple of days."

She reached up and caught hold of his hand.

"_Thank you."_ She whispered.

Sylvester leaned closer and gently kissed her.

"I'm _not_ leaving you alone again." He promised her," Nothing else will happen – not now I'm around."

But fear still flickered in her eyes.

"I can't stay here, Sylvester." She said quietly, "Take me with you; I want to come and stay with you and Snoozy."

Hearing those words gave him a great sense of relief; he was sure no harm could come to her away from this house – the bar was small and so was the apartment and it was across the other side of town, a place her attacker would know nothing about...

"I'll help you pack your things." He told her, "We'll leave as soon as you're ready to go."

* * *

An hour later Sylvester found himself hauling two big pink suitcases into the back of Penelope's car.

"Are you sure that's everything?" He wondered, hoping the answer would be _yes_ because those cases had been very heavy...

Penelope nodded.

She reached back into the hallway and picked up her pink umbrella before closing the front door and locking it up.

Then she walked down the steps and onto the gravel driveway where the car was now waiting.

They were ready to leave.

She managed a smile as she looked at Sylvester.

"I'll be just fine now," She told him as she got into the car, _"I feel safe now – I'm with you."_

And Sylvester closed the passenger door and sat back as Penelope started the engine.

They drove away, heading for the Moonlight bar, both feeling sure they had left danger far behind...

* * *

They were off the highway and close to their destination when Penelope's pink phone began to ring.

She snatched it up quickly.

_"Clyde?"_ She said in surprise.

Sylvester turned and looked at her, wondering what the hell that guy wanted now...

"Hi Penelope. I was just calling to see how you are." He said, adding, "I do still care about you. I was hoping maybe we could meet up later on –"

"No." She said firmly,"I'm _not_ home. I'm going away for a few days. Something happened again at the house but its okay now, I'm with Sylvester. I have to get off the phone, I'm driving. _Bye, Clyde_."

Then she cut off the call and turned her attention back to the road.

"What did he want?" Sylvester wondered.

Penelope gave a sigh.

"I don't know, he was just trying to get to speak to me again...I don't want to think he's involved in any of this, Sylvester- but the more I think about it, the more I think he could be..."

They drove in silence for a few minutes and then Sylvester spoke again.

"This guy who calls himself the Hooded Claw- do you recognise his voice from any where?"

She frowned as she kept her eyes on the road ahead.

"It's like a hoarse, whispered voice- like someone's putting on a scary way of speaking. I don't see his face; I don't even see his hands because he wears gloves...All I know is he's very strong and he's got such an evil mind! He was going to watch me _drown_ in that bath tub!"

Sylvester was still thinking.

"But he didn't. He had _two_ chances to kill you and both times he stopped short of it. _Why_ would he do that if he wanted you dead? Why not just shoot you with a gun or stick a knife in you?"

Penelope looked at him with wide eyes.

"_Don't talk like that, Sylvester!"_

He thought back to the day head gone crazy and become the man of her nightmares and he shook his head.

"No, no! I didn't mean when I was sick and what I did –I wasn't referring to _that!_ I know this is difficult to go back over, but _think_, Penelope! I know it's not exactly your favourite subject but we might be able to work this out! _Why didn't he kill you when he had the chance? Was he just trying to scare you?_ If that's the case he's not got plans to kill you...something _else_ is going on! _What about Clyde?_ You said he turned up and rescued you the first time – he said the other guy ran off? What if it's Clyde who's doing this to you? Maybe he's trying to scare you into going back to him."

Penelope shook her head.

She was still driving and she felt weary and the motion of the passing scenery was almost hypnotic, making her feel sleepy now.

"No, Sylvester- he's got _no_ reason to do that!"

Sylvester had been turning the pieces of the puzzle over in his mind and suddenly they clicked into place. _They made a picture he didn't like, but those pieces certainly fitted together..._

"What if he _never _loved you? What if he's desperate to keep you so he's got access to Pitstop Shipping? Think about it, Penelope: _if he married you, if he drove you crazy with this Hooded Claw stuff...he could take over the company. Then think how big he could become. He'd be a drug dealer with a whole fleet of ships in the palm of his hand_."

Penelope stared at Sylvester.

"You think?"

"I know it sounds like an ugly situation but it makes sense to me."

Penelope glanced away from the road again.

"But the man who attacked me wasn't Clyde! He was..."

"He was _exactly _what you expected him to be." Sylvester told her, "He said he was the hooded Claw and that's who you saw in front of you – but he's _not_, the Hooded Claw isn't real."

"_You're right."_ She said quietly as once more her friend's words came back to her and she knew Melanie had been telling the truth:

_She did only look for the good in people, she did it to such an extent that she hadn't seen though Clyde- but it was all making sense now..._

Then she turned off the main road and followed on a smaller one, taking the route that would lead to the Moonlight bar, where she was sure she would feel a little safer...

* * *

After Clyde put the phone down, he paced across the floor of his apartment and kicked a chair over in rage.

As wood splintered he thought about Penelope- happy now with Sneekly, far from the danger posed by the Hooded Claw, far from his plans to win her back.

_Everything had gone to the wall._

He had lost Penelope, the chance of taking over her company – and on top of it all, he _still _had the knowledge that Sylvester could uncover his dealings through the records at Pitstop Shipping.

He went over to the window and looked out at the city far below and his eyes burned dark as he thought about his plan.

The shipment was coming in tonight.

After that he would have to find another shipping company, he would have cut ties with all trace of his life with Penelope because she was now becoming yet another loose end that needed to be tied up...

He made his choice:

_He would fire the bar..._

_He would do it tonight..._

* * *

It was late afternoon when Penelope pulled up in her car outside the Moonlight Bar.

Sylvester helped her with her bags and took them around to the side entrance, then he got his keys out, unlocked the door and they went inside.

As he closed the door behind her he smiled.

"You'll be quite safe now, my dear. I'll be with you all the time. And Sparks has got some business to deal with today but he's coming over first thing in the morning to pick up that paperwork that proves what Clyde's been up to. After we tell him the whole story we'll all be able to sleep a little safer at night. Let me take those cases upstairs for you."

Penelope looked into his eyes and smiled back at him.

"I think I'm going to like being here with you Sylvester." She said softly.

He took the cases and began to climb the stairs to the apartment and Penelope followed.

"Snoozy!" Sylvester called out, "Are you up here? Penelope's come to stay with me for a few days..."

_He got no reply._

Sylvester passed the front room where the door was ajar and the TV was on. He guessed Snoozy taking a nap so he went straight through to the bedroom and Penelope's cases on the floor next to his wardrobe.

"This place isn't much." He reminded her.

She stepped closer and leaned in, as their lips gently touched he kissed her in reply and their kisses grew deeper.

Then Penelope pulled back again.

"This place is just fine." She promised him, "Any where is just fine as long as I'm with you."

And Sylvester felt his heart fill with love as he smiled and his face flushed to think this beautiful woman could love him so very much.

"I feel so lucky when you say things like that." He said, feeling like the shy young man he had once been who could barely look her in the eye,"I love you, Penelope."

For a moment their eyes met and neither wanted to look away as so much love unspoken passed between them.

Then Sylvester thought about Snoozy.

"I'd better let him know you're here - I'll have to remind him to knock before he barges into our room..."

And he went out into the hallway.

"_Hey Snoozy!"_ He called out.

_Again there was no reply._

Sylvester stopped and listened; the TV was definitely on but he couldn't hear anything else..._had Snoozy gone out?_

"Where _is_ he?" Sylvester wondered.

As he walked up the hall Penelope went with him.

"Maybe he's asleep." She suggested.

"He probably is, but he wakes up fast enough when someone calls him...he's _too_ quiet..."

Sylvester pushed open the door to the front room.

The TV was on low volume and Snoozy was sprawled across the sofa with his back turned to the door.

"Snoozy?" Sylvester said, "Wake up, Penelope's come to stay!"

Snoozy moved stiffly, turning over slowly and as he looked at them Penelope gave a gasp:

Snoozy had a black eye, his lip was cut and his cheek was bruised and swollen.

He gave a sob.

"_Clyde came over..."_

As he sat up Sylvester hurried to his side and sat next to him, turning his face towards him as he looked at his injuries.

"What did he hit you for?"

Snoozy was still tearful.

"He wanted to make sure I didn't know anything. He asked me about why you had papers in your hand when you came out of Pitstop Shipping. I told him Penelope gave you your old job back!"

Tears ran from his eyes.

"_I never told him anything else, Sylvester! I wouldn't do that, you're my friend!"_

And then he sobbed again.

"Clyde told me something when he was younger. He said if I ever tell anyone he'll kill me - but I'm _not_ keeping his secrets any more!"

And he looked into Sylvester's eyes and lifted a weight from his conscience that he had been carrying around for far too long.

"_Fifteen years ago Clyde said he started up his drug business with some stolen money. He said he broke into this big house. He shot this couple dead and raided their safe."_

And Penelope's face turned china white as her legs gave way and she sat down hard on a nearby arm chair.

"_Oh God no..."_ She said, thinking about it as the pieces began to fit...

"_Clyde killed my parents?"_

Sylvester looked into Snoozy's eyes.

"I know you're scared but this is important. Did he tell you who these people were, the ones that he shot?"

Snoozy shook his head.

"_All he said was they had a shipping business... that's all."_

Sylvester heard Penelope give a sob and he wanted to put his arm around her but right now he had to make sure Snoozy was okay; he looked as if Clyde had _really _smacked him about...

"I know he hurt you," He said, "But are you okay? Can you see properly, have you got any pain or swellings like you might have cracked bones? "

Snoozy shook his head.

"Do you feel like you want to go to sleep?"

Surprise registered in his eyes on hearing that question.

"Well, I _always_ like a nap; they don't call me Snoozy for nothing!"

Sylvester managed to smile on hearing him say that.

"Then I guess you don't have a concussion. Did he hit you anywhere else?"

Snoozy pulled up his t- shirt.

_"Well he kicked me in the ribs a couple of times..."_

Penelope forgot her own sense of shock about all she had learned about Clyde as she stared at the livid bruising on Snoozy's body.

"Oh Snoozy!" She exclaimed, "You poor guy!"

Sylvester was also looking at him with concern in his eyes.

"I'm calling you a taxi and you are going straight over to the hospital."

"Oh no, I _hate_ hospitals! I don't need all that fuss over me, Sylvester!"

"I want you to go over there and say you got robbed in the street. Say the guy was after your wallet and you put up a fight and he kicked the shit out of you. I want you to get X-rays and make sure nothing's broken. Believe me, you _don't_ want to know what a busted rib feels like, I had one in jail once-"

"_You did?"_ Penelope said, staring at him in surprise.

"I got into a fight." Sylvester replied,"It's a long story. But I got through it; Sparks taught me how to handle myself."

And as he said that he recalled Sparks sitting with him in his cell:

"_Sylvester," He had said, "You hit like a girl! And that's not how to make a fist – if you hit someone like that you'll break your knuckles! Let me show you the right way to do it..."_

Snoozy was speaking again.

"I don't _need_ to go to a hospital." He said again.

"Yes you do." Sylvester replied, picking up the phone and calling him a cab.

Ten minutes later Sylvester was helping Snoozy into the waiting taxi and as he got in stiffly he felt sure that sending him to the hospital to get checked over was the right thing to do, even if he didn't want to go.

"And don't worry about the bar." He told him as Snoozy sat in the back of the cab,"I'll keep the bar closed tonight. Me and Penelope have everything under control. And Sparks will understand too, we can tell him everything tomorrow. Just make sure you get yourself checked over, Snoozy."

He looked reluctantly at Sylvester.

"Okay." He said, then the taxi pulled away.

* * *

Penelope walked out to the gateway and stood beside Sylvester, who was watching the taxi disappear into the distance.

The day was fading into dusk now and after learning all she had about Clyde's past she felt as if everything she had ever believed in regarding that man had been a terrible lie..._ He had killed her parents? He had taken her in his arms and lied to her time and again and said he loved her - and all the while Clyde was the man who had killed her parents, the man who had driven her to edge of sanity with her nightmares about the Hooded Claw?_

But at least she had one truth that she knew would never fail her and it had never shone brighter as she looked into Sylvester's eyes:

_This time around, she was with a man she loved, who loved her, a man she could trust and she had never been as sure of that fact as she was right now._

He took hold of her hand, his own heart aching for the sadness he saw reflected in her eyes.

"It'll be okay." He promised her, "I'll see Sparks tomorrow and he will get something done about this. _Don't be scared, Penelope – you're with me now_. _You're safe_. _Nothing else can happen now – I won't let anything happen to you_."

And then he put his arm around her and they went back inside, as they walked Penelope leaned on him feeling sure she had never needed him by her side as much as she did right now...


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Penelope watched from the bedroom window as nightfall swallowed up the last trace of dusk.

"I hope he's okay." She remarked, thinking about Snoozy, who had left for the hospital three hours ago.

Just as she spoke the phone rang and Sylvester snatched it up.

_"Snoozy?"_

Penelope turned away from the window, her gaze fixed anxiously on Sylvester and the phone call as she hoped everything was okay.

_While her back was turned she didn't see Clyde's car slow to a silent halt outside the Moonlight Bar, nor did she see the glass bottle filled with gasoline or the rag stuffed into its neck, or the spark of his cigarette lighter as he prepared to light the homemade fire bomb..._

"Oh that's great!" Sylvester exclaimed as he spoke on the phone, then he listened again and laughed.

One look in his eyes told Penelope he was feeling relieved; the hospital had given Snoozy good news.

"No, no –"Sylvester began, "I _don't_ mean it's a good thing you have a mild concussion – I mean it's a good thing that's _all _you have! And they said you can come home in the morning? That's great. Okay, well you get off to sleep. We'll both be here in the morning when you come home. Goodnight, Snoozy."

Then he put the phone down.

"That was Snoozy. The hospital's keeping him in overnight just to be on the safe side, but he should be out in the morning. He's okay."

Penelope smiled.

"I'm _so_ glad he's okay!"

Sylvester quickly hit speed dial and called Sparks.

"I'd better let him know what's happened with Snoozy." He said.

The phone rang and reached voice mail and Sylvester briefly told Sparks that Snoozy was in the hospital, and that it was a long story, but he was going to be okay. The he said he'd explain everything properly as soon as he got in touch, and then he hung up.

_And just as he put the phone down there was a sharp sound of breaking glass that suddenly split the air as tires squealed and a car took off at speed._

Sylvester ran to the window and looked out.

"_What the hell was that?"_ He wondered, seeing no one about now.

Penelope's eyes widened.

"That sounded like one of the windows..."

Sylvester felt a flicker of alarm; this bar was set apart in a large plot of land and the sign had been turned to _Closed_ for hours now ..._if there was any kind of trouble going on, who would know to come and help?_

"I'd better check it out." He told her, and headed for the apartment door.

"_Wait for me!"_

He heard the clicking of Penelope's high heeled boots as she hurried after him.

Sylvester stopped by the closed door and turned back and smiled at her.

"I'm sure it's nothing! Why don't you go and have a lie down, you've been through so much stress lately!"

Her eyes hardened.

"I'm coming _with_ you!"

He gave a sigh.

"Okay..."

_Sylvester opened the apartment door_.

Heat raced up the stairway, along with ghostly flickers of amber light that leapt up the walls from the ground floor, throwing up a hellish glow.

The flames were burning high and crackling and black smoke was billowing up the stairs.

Sylvester put his hand to his mouth and coughed as it seemed like the smoke was eating up all the air in the room.

Flames licked around the bottom of the stairway and Penelope screamed as she stepped back.

Sylvester slammed the apartment door, shutting out the smoke save for a ghostly wisp that snaked into the room and brought with it the smell of burning.

Penelope looked at Sylvester with big, terrified eyes.

"_The bar is on fire! We have to get out!"_

She reached for the door but he grabbed her hand, pulling her back.

"No, _not_ that way! There's too much heat and smoke – we'd never make it!"

Sylvester thought quickly:

T_his place was old, it would go up like a matchbox...it was only a short matter of time before the flames burning downstairs got through and the ceiling caved in the upper floor..._

"We can't go down the stairs. We'll have to get out of the window."

"_What?"_

Penelope ran after Sylvester as he hurried back into the bedroom and threw open the windows.

He looked down and saw a drainpipe that ran next to the window, but far below the walkway was narrow and beyond it the river was flowing fast.

"We can't jump." He told her.

"Why?" She demanded.

Sylvester felt a little bit uncomfortable to be admitting this at the worst possible time.

"_Because I can't swim..."_

She stared at him surprise.

"And here was I thinking you were such a _hero,_ Sylvester!"

He briefly smiled.

"I'm your hero? You never said _that _before... I could get used to that..."

"Hurry up!" She told him, glancing back and seeing a thin trail of smoke creeping through the apartment.

Sylvester scrambled out onto the ledge, closing his eyes as he shakily reached for the drain pipe.

As he grabbed it and clung on and gingerly inched down it, Penelope gave a sigh.

"You don't like heights either?"

Sylvester still had his eyes shut tightly as he shook his head.

Penelope gave a sigh.

"_Wait for me!"_

She turned back from the window, hooked her umbrella over her arm and then climbed out, swinging over to the pipe so that she was right behind Sylvester.

She stayed close to him, so close that if he fell, so would she...

* * *

There was a boom as a window blew out and flames licked at the air far down below.

_"Come on Sylvester!"_ She said as she stated to climb, "I can do this and so can you. When I was at college I was a champion swimmer so if we don't make it to the ground, if we fall in the river, I can get you out of there. I know lifesaving. _And_ I can climb this pipe too – I used to go rock climbing every other weekend!"

Sylvester's hands shook as he moved further down the pipe following Penelope.

Then he looked down and the ground span dizzily far below and he held on tighter, catching his breath as the pipe shuddered and gave a groan.

_"I don't think this thing can hold two of us..."_

Penelope looked up, and as she looked up she saw the pipe bend further away from its fixing as it gave another groan.

She looked down at the steep drop below them.

"We'll never make it!" She exclaimed, and clung to the pipe with one hand as she held out her umbrella and pushed a button, popping it up.

Sylvester glanced up at the open umbrella - a big pink canopy edged with lace - and he stared at Penelope.

"I don't care if its going to _rain,_ we need to get down from here!"

"_And we will!"_ She promised him, climbing level with Sylvester, "Put your arms around me, close your eyes and let go when I tell you to!"

As he looked at her, he wondered if he was in love with a crazy woman.

"_And then we'll both plummet to our deaths!"_

"No we won't!" She exclaimed, "We will float _safely_ to the ground!"

Sylvester felt the pipe shift and groan again and he put his arms around Penelope, feeling sure they had no chance to get out of this mess now...

"This is scientifically impossible, Penelope Pitstop! It's like something you see happen in a cartoon! We will fall down, the umbrella will turn inside out and _then_ we will fall to our deaths!"

Penelope kissed him.

_"Let go of the pipe, Sylvester!"_

The pipe groaned again and as it came free from the side of the house he had no choice but to let go.

He gave a yell as they fell downwards.

_Then the wind caught beneath the umbrella and they began to slowly float._

Penelope's eyes were sparkling.

"I _told _you it would work!"

Sylvester clung to her and laughed.

Then his laughter stopped abruptly as he stared at the moving water below them.

"_But the wind has carried us over the river!"_

Then the wind dropped - and so did the umbrella.

"_Oops!"_ Penelope exclaimed, and they both landed in the river with a splash.

* * *

Snoozy had been sleeping in a comfortable hospital bed.

Then someone came into his room and sat at his bedside.

Snoozy gave a sigh and turned his face away as the bedside lamp snapped on.

"Leave me alone, I hurt all over.." He murmured.

"_Snoozy."_

On hearing Spark's voice, he opened his eyes and looked at him.

Sparks looked back at him with deep concern in his eyes.

"What happened? I got a message from Sylvester, he said you were in the hospital and he'd tell me the rest later. Who did this, Snoozy? Tell me everything and _don't_ leave anythng out, okay?"

Snoozy took a deep breath.

"Well it's about Clyde McDonald, youve heard of him?"

Sparks nodded.

"_I'm listening."_

Snoozy blinked as his eyes blurred.

_"This is such a mess."_ He said tearfully.

Sparks took hold of his hand and spoke quietly to him.

"Calm down, take a deep breath and tell me everything, I'm listening."

Snoozy took that deep breath, then as Sparks continued to hold his shaking hand, he told him everything and left nothing out...

* * *

The river was freezing and the current was strong.

Penelope grabbed at Sylvester's hand but the flow of the water dragged him further away.

He was coughing and spluttering and trying to keep above the water and she was sure it was only the fast moving river that had him its pull that stopped him from sinking straight to the bottom.

"_Hold on!"_ She called out, taking a deep breath and diving forward, swimming into the powerful current as she tried to reach him again.

The water washed over him and he coughed and spluttered but she grabbed him and held on tightly.

"_Don't struggle!"_ She yelled, _"I'll get you out of here!"_

And Sylvester clung to her as she slowly made her way through the fast moving water, fighting to get to the riverbank in the distance.

* * *

As Penelope struggled in the water, the flames from the burning bar lit up the night sky.

_And Clyde turned his car around._

He took the long route around the wooded area that surrounded the place, taking a road that would lead him over to the other side of the river bank, because he was sure he could see at least one person struggling out there in the dark water and at this time of night with the wind fanning the flames in the opposite direction, it made visibility poor.

_He was also pretty sure he would be a lousy shot with his gun under these circumstances, so instead he planned to wait by the bank and see if either of them made it out of the water..._

* * *

After hearing all about what had happened with Clyde, Sparks had thanked Snoozy for telling him everything.

After Snoozy had finished explaining, he had told him to stop crying and stop worrying, because _no one_ was mad at him for keeping a secret- he knew Snoozy, he didn't doubt his loyalty –but he also knew the guy was not tough and certainly no fighter and it was understandable that he would be afraid of a guy like Clyde McDonald, a guy whose reputation went before him...

Sparks left the hospital and got back into the waiting limo, then he glanced at the small, dark man who was sat in the driver's seat.

Yak Yak was so short he could barely see to drive without sitting on a cushion...

"Where to, Mr Sparks?" He asked him.

"The moonlight bar. And step on the gas."

Sparks was already checking his gun was loaded.

"_I think there may be a problem."_ He added.

And Yak Yak, understanding this kind of business was a time when _no_ yakking was allowed, silently nodded and the limo set off in the direction of the Moonlight Bar.

* * *

Penelope dragged in another breath as she fought to hold onto Sylvester and push past the current that kept trying to wrap around both of them and pull her back.

She was exhausted by the time she crawled up the riverbank, dragging Sylvester with her.

Then she breathlessly sat on the grass at the top of the bank and took in some more breaths, barely noticing the cold or her soaking wet clothing as she turned Sylvester on his side and shook him.

"_Sylvester?"_ She said in alarm.

He was motionless and for one terrible moment she wondered if he had drowned.

"_Sylvester!"_

She slapped him hard on the back.

Sylvester coughed and spewed out water and a very small fish, then he coughed again and dragged in a breath.

"Did...did we make it?" He said as he gasped for air.

There was _click_ and they both looked up to see a hooded figure standing over them with a gun in his hand.

"_I'm afraid not!"_ He exclaimed, smacking Sylvester across the back of the head with the weapon and knocking him out cold.

Then he took a step towards Penelope, who tried to stand but slipped in the mud and screamed loudly for help as the Hooded Claw reached for her...

* * *

_"What do you want to do, Mr Sparks? Shall I go over there and waste McDonald? Shall I waste him now? How about I slice McDonald up and give him to the fishes, he's burned your bar, Mr Sparks, tell me what to do!"_

Yak Yak bounced up and down on the cushion that helped him see over the wheel as he spoke.

"_Wait."_ Sparks said as he watched the hooded figure drag Sylvester into the back of the car and then do the same with a struggling Penelope," Lets watch and wait – he's not going to do anything here because sooner or later the fire will attract attention, so he's going to take them somewhere else. _Let's follow him_."

Yak Yak started up the engine.

Then they watched further down the river, and as Clyde's car took off, the limo began to follow behind at a distance.

* * *

When Sylvester regained consciousness he remembered the water and panicked as he dragged in a lungful of air.

Then he weakly sat up as his head throbbed and he blinked to clear his vision.

"Where are we?" He said aloud, looking at the cold metal walls held together by rivets.

The hooded man stepped out of the shadows.

"You're down in the cargo hold of a ship." He informed him, "But the goods are gone. All that remains now is to dispose of you and Penelope Pitstop."

As his head throbbed again, Sylvester sank back against the wall.

He glanced over at Penelope, who was tied to a post.

She glared at the hooded man.

"What sick fiendish plot have you thought up to kill me this time, Hooded Claw?" She said bitterly.

Sylvester gave another sigh as he rubbed the back of his aching head.

"I think I can answer that one - _he's going to kill us both?_"

The hooded man stepped closer, one look at Sylvester told him that he had knocked him out too well for him to be planning on going anywhere for quite a while, Sylvester couldnt even get up...

Then he turned to Penelope.

"I _am_ the Hooded Claw." He stated,"I'm the man who came out of your bad dreams! I'm real, I'm here and I'm going to _kill _you!"

Penelope gave a sigh and rolled her eyes.

"As traumatic as I've found your attacks on me, I think I can safely say I'm _not_ afraid of you any more!"

He stood there listening, confused by her statement.

Then Penelope's eyes blazed with rage.

"_I know who you are, I know what you did! You're a cowardly bastard who killed my parents while they slept in their bed! I hate you for that! I'll see you dead before you lay a finger on me, Clyde McDonald!"_

The Hooded man tensed as he filled with rage.

Then he reached up and ripped down the hood that had hidden his face.

_Penelope stared at him._

She knew he was Clyde, but seeing his face behind the hood still came as a shock because there it was right in front of her; the whole truth of the matter was laid out in that split second:

T_here was no Hooded Claw, there never had been. _

_There had only ever been Clyde..._

He gripped the gun furiously as he waved it about while he launched into a rant, stepping closer so he could yell into her face:

"_You had to go and ruin everything, didn't you, Penelope! There I was, playing the nice guy, being your boyfriend, I could have lived with that, I mean, you're a hot girl! I could have married you and been okay with doing that. I never would have had to hurt anyone! But you had to find things out, Snoozy had to open his mouth and - "_

He gestured to Sylvester.

"- that _loony _had to get let out of jail!"

"_Excuse me?" _Sylvester said, "Since _when_ did I become a loony? My behaviour was a one off event caused by a brain tumor- but _you_ make a habit of dressing up in that cape so what's _your_ excuse, pal?"

The gun briefly wavered in his direction.

"_Shut your mouth!" _Clyde said sharply.

Then he turned back to Penelope.

"I'm _really _going to enjoy killing your boyfriend!" He told her, then he reached in his own pocket and pulled out a pill bottle and rattled them at Sylvester.

"I realize you feel too shitty to move right now because I knocked you out a while back, but just let me know when you want your meds, because I'm _not_ giving them to you! So you can just lay there and have another one of your seizures..."

And he placed the pill bottle on a shelf behind him, far out of Sylvester's reach.

The he turned back to Penelope once more.

"You want to know all about my fiendish plan?" He wondered, "Well actually it's not all that fiendish. It's rather basic - but a _lot_ of fun for me! I cleaned out the drugs before I put you two in here. My shipment is waiting in the trunk of my car, it's home and dry. And I've planted a small explosive deep in the bowels of this ship and it's going up when I press the button. But it won't kill you right away. Instead it's going to flood the ship as it sinks and take both of you down with it."

"You're right, that _is_ basic." Sylvester remarked, but Clyde ignored him as he kept his eyes fixed on Penelope.

"I got the idea when I saw the look of terror in your eyes when I had you tied up in the bath tub! It's a shame I won't be around to see you both drown but I have places to go, I'm a busy man..."

And Penelope tried in vain out of Clyde's sight to loosen the rope that tied her to the post, but the rope held fast...

* * *

_As Clyde continued to speak, his voice echoed down the narrow walkway that led to the cargo hold._

Two shadowy figures quietly made their way closer, pausing to listen to what he was saying.

In the dim light of electric bulbs that glowed low to light the way, the two men looked as different as their shadows did as the light cast them against the wall:

One was tall and powerfully built; the other was stocky but little more than a midget.

Yak Yak looked up at his boss who stood pressed hard against the wall with a loaded gun in his hand.

"Shall we go in there now, Mr Sparks?" He whispered.

Sparks shook his head.

"_Slowly."_ He said in a low voice, "He's armed. We don't want bullets flying about in there and bouncing off the walls. Sylvester or Penelope might get hurt..."

And Yak Yak nodded, and the two men continued to slowly creep along the corridor, heading for the door at the end of the cargo hold.

* * *

Clyde took off the cape and threw onto the floor.

"I won't need this any more!" He announced, then he laughed as looked at Penelope.

"How could you be so stupid? _Hooded Claw?_ A figment of your _imagination? _How could believe for a _second _that something you imagined could come to life? What's wrong with you?"

And he gestured with his gun, waving it in Sylvester's direction.

"You're as crazy as he is! I can see it now - you _belong_ together! Shame you won't have much time left to enjoy it...I'm blowing this place as soon as I walk out of here!"

Sylvester tried to stand up but Clyde turned sharply, aiming the gun at him once more.

"_Don't even think about it!"_

Sylvester put his hand to his head as he weakly slipped back down again, leaning against the wall as he looked up at Clyde.

_"If you lay one finger on me Frankie Sparks will have you killed! You'll be a marked man!"_

Clyde smiled on hearing him say that.

"Sparks? I've got no quarrel with him- besides, I heard he went soft a long time ago. Must have been all that time he spent in jail."

"_I shared his cell."_

Clyde shrugged off that remark.

"And I wonder what he thought of you." He said as he looked down at him, "He must have hated you – I mean, _look_ at you - Sylvester, you can't even fight your way out of a paper bag! You can't even save your girlfriend either!"

"_He taught me how to survive."_

Sylvester's eyes had turned to ice and Penelope stared at him, wondering what was going thorough Sylvester's head as he glared at Clyde.

"I can't imagine what he could have taught you." Clyde replied, "You're _useless_, Sneekly!"

Penelope was still trying to loosen the bonds that tied her to the post, but as she worked at the rope nothing shifted.

Then Clyde looked back at her and she fell still once more.

"By the way," Clyde told her," I _never_ loved you, Penelope. I could have been fond of you in time- but never love, it was always about your money. I wanted control of Pitstop Shipping. I would have been a dealer with a fleet of ships; can you imagine how much power that would have given me?"

And then he stepped closer as rage filled his eyes.

"_And you RUINED it for me!_" Clyde yelled, _"You wrecked everything! All because of your stupid loony boyfriend who came back into your life! I'm glad the pair of you are going to die, I couldn't have this end any other way!"_

Then Sylvester drew in a sharp breath as he sat on the floor leaning harder against the wall.

Penelope glanced at him and he glanced back at her, but before she could catch the look in his eyes it was gone and he was fixing his gaze on Clyde once more.

"Please..."He said weakly, "I'm not feeling too good. I need my meds. Please don't let me have a seizure - you knocked me out a while ago, I could get _very _sick if I had one right now."

Penelope was still tied firmly to the post and the ropes wouldn't budge as she turned her head and looked at Sylvester.

He was leaning against the wall taking in a deep breath.

Then he blinked several times and Penelope blinked away tears as she realized he was about to collapse.

"_Please don't do this!"_ She said tearfully_, "Please Sylvester- try and hold on, I need you..."_

"I'm sorry..." He murmured as he tried to clear blurring vision, "I can't stop this, Penelope... I can't..."

She looked pleadingly at Clyde.

"Please let him take his meds! Just give him one of his pills, you've hurt him, he won't fight you, _look _at him!"

Clyde smiled.

"I _am l_ooking at him." He remarked,"What a mess your boyfriend is in. Yeah, he's going...he can't stop it happening; he's just going to crash down on the floor and have a seizure. _That's all he's good for_."

Penelope gave a sob.

"What ever you've got planned for me doesn't matter any more! Just don't treat him like that, _don't _torture him, Clyde!_ Please help him!_"

Her words echoed up the corridor.

* * *

As they neared the doorway both men stayed tight against the wall, then Yak Yak made a move to dart forward but suddenly the collar of his jacket was being clamped tightly and he was going no where as his legs kicked at nothing and he was lifted up in the air by Sparks, who held him easily with one hand while he wagged a finger in his face.

_"Not yet!"_ He whispered, "_You stay put. You wait until I say the word, understand?"_

Yak Yak nodded and Sparks set him down again right beside him, tight up against the wall.

"But if we don't make a move..." He hissed.

"Trust me." Sparks told him in a low voice as he peered through a gap in the door, "I know what I'm doing... just wait a few more minutes..."

"Why?" The little man wondered as he looked up at his boss.

A knowing smile played about Spark's lips.

"_Just trust me."_ He murmured as he took another look through the gap in the door, _"We wait..."_

* * *

Sylvester slowly turned his head.

"I don't feel so good, Penelope..." He said weakly, "I need my meds...I can't focus on anything..."

Penelope gave another sob as she glared at Clyde.

"_Give him his pills, Clyde! You don't have to let him suffer like this! Please don't do it!"_

Clyde shrugged, looking at Sylvester who was sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall barely able to focus.

Then he indicated to the shelf on the wall behind him.

"He knows where they are. If he wants them he can always stand up and walk over there and get them."

"_He can't stand up!"_ Penelope yelled, _"Don't do this to him, you bastard!"_

Then she looked at Sylvester, who was struggling to focus on her face.

"_I'm sorry..." _He murmured_,"I can't stop this..."_

Sylvester slid to the floor, his eyes closed as his body started to shake.

Penelope blinked and more tears ran down her face.

Clyde glanced back at Sylvester, who was still convulsing on the floor and then he turned his back and stepped closer to Penelope.

He smiled as he looked into her eyes.

"Looks like that's the end of your useless boyfriend." He remarked, _"No one can save you now, Penelope Pitstop..."_


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Penelope looked at Clyde and blinked away tears.

"Even if you kill me now I know the truth! I _know_ there are no monsters. There was only ever _you_, a screwed up boy with a gun in his hand thinking he's a big man to creep into a stranger's house and pull the trigger in the middle of the night! You're_ nothing, _Clyde!"

"_I couldn't agree more!"_

Penelope's eyes widened in surprise on hearing a familiar voice.

Clyde turned sharply, staring at Sylvester who was standing behind him.

_Sneekly looked...absolutely fine all of a sudden? _

Then Clyde had no more time to think about it as Sylvester smacked him in the face with an iron fist and sent him sprawling to floor.

Penelope felt stunned as she looked at her lover.

"I thought you had a seizure?"

"_I was faking it."_ He told her.

Then he looked down at Clyde, knocked out cold on the floor and he smiled.

"He thought Sparks couldn't teach me anything?" He remarked, "He did. He taught me how to throw a punch!"

"_I certainly did."_

They both looked towards the doorway, where Sparks and Yak Yak were standing.

Sparks walked over to Sylvester and placed his hand on his shoulder as warmth shone in his eyes.

"We came to help out but when I saw you faking that seizure I knew you were planning something."

Sylvester felt surprised by that remark.

"How did you know I was faking it?"

Sparks gave him a knowing smile.

"After being locked up with you for fifteen years I _know_ when you're sick and when you're not!"

Penelope wriggled again, but the ropes stayed tight.

"Excuse me, boys? Could someone help me with –"

She stopped, hearing someone run up behind her.

Something quick and sharp sliced through the air with a swish and the ropes fell free.

Penelope stepped away from the post and looked down to see a small, dark haired man in a sharp suit with an even sharper switchblade in his hand which he quickly put away as he smiled up at her.

"Thank you!" Penelope said warmly.

Yak Yak opened his mouth to start yakking and Sparks snapped his fingers, silencing him before he could begin.

"We have _work_ to do." He reminded him, then he turned back to Sylvester.

"Get Penelope out of here. And don't worry about Clyde – _this is no longer your problem._"

Sylvester thought about the fire.

"Clyde burned the bar."

Sparks shook his head.

"Don't worry, Sylvester. Everything will be taken care of."

"Clyde said he planted some explosives." Penelope told him, "I know they were down near the hull but I'm not sure about the exact spot."

"I heard." Sparks replied, "And I'm sorry but we'll have to blow the boat. It's the best way to get rid of every trace of evidence."

Penelope wondered exactly what he had planned but had no more time to think about it as Sylvester took hold of her hand.

"Come on Penelope." He said, "We have to get out of here."

"But I wanted to know what happens next -"

"There's no time." He added, "Let's go."

"But I-"

"_Let's go right now,_ _Penelope."_

And he kept a firm grip on her hand as he led her out of the cargo hold.

Sparks watched as Sylvester walked away.

He thought for a moment about the man he had met so long ago back in prison, the guy who didn't even know how to throw a punch... Sylvester had come a long way since the old days and he was sure he had never felt more proud of him than the moment when he had fooled Clyde and then knocked him out cold.

Yak Yak looked up at his boss.

"What do we do now, Mr Sparks?" He asked him.

Sparks thought for a moment.

"We'll take the car out to the sticks and torch it with the drugs inside it. But first we blow the boat- and deal with _this_ piece of shit."

And he nudged Clyde with his foot.

He gave a groan but didn't wake.

"Want me to take him out now?" Yak Yak wondered.

Sparks looked down at Clyde and felt a cold rage building up inside him.

"_Not yet." _He said, _"I want a word with this piece of trash first..."_

* * *

Penelope half stumbled in the dark as Sylvester led her away from the docks.

"Where are we going?"

"Home." He replied.

"But what about Clyde? Surely Sparks will need us to talk to the cops about everything too?"

Sylvester stopped walking.

The docks were far behind them now and the lights of the city were burning brightly against the night skyline, there was a distance between them and the scene of what was about to happen but as he looked into Penelope's eyes he saw nothing there but confusion:

_She really had no clue as to what would be happening next... _

And Sylvester understood that perfectly, because there had been a time when he wouldn't have fully understood either, not until he had gone to jail and met Sparks and become a part of his world.

_But that side of his life was one that Penelope never needed to know about._

He smiled as he thought about how sweet and innocent she used to be – and how innocent she still was to a certain degree.

She had never walked the path he had walked, never shared the kind of life he had known and there was no reason for that to change.

For a brief moment it struck him as ironic that she had once been shocked to see him go crazy back in the days when he had been sick – she had never imagined him capable of such violence.

But that was then, when he had no control over his actions.

It was all changed now, he was a different man, changed by time and life and everything that had gone along with it – although of course Penelope would know very little of the darker side of his world and his association with a man named Frankie Sparks, because if she knew every detail she would be shocked all over again to think her lover had such close connections with the underworld...

"What about Clyde?" She said again, "We need to talk to the police!"

Sylvester looked into Penelope's eyes and felt sure he could never in his life love another woman as much as he loved Penelope Pitstop.

"We _don't _have to talk to the police." He promised her, "Sparks is taking care of everything – he's keeping us and your company _out_ of the situation. Trust me; Clyde will get what he deserves."

And she looked at him with such love in her eyes as she smiled.

"That's really helpful of Mr Sparks to deal with all this by himself!" She exclaimed, "I mean, if the cops found out what Clyde had been using my company for I could have wound up in jail!"

Sylvester smiled too on hearing those words as he thought about Sparks and his friends in the police force who he had been paying off for many years for many different reasons...

"Sparks will handle everything." He promised her, "He's used to dealing with the law..."

Penelope tightened her grip on his hand.

"I'm so glad this is over." She said, looking adoringly into his eyes.

"Me too." Sylvester replied.

And then Penelope, who only saw the good in everyone and never spotted a trace of anything remotely bad even when it was staring her in the face, turned away from the docks in the distance and thought no more about Clyde and all that had happened, pushing it far from her mind as she kept hold of her lover's hand as they walked on towards home.

* * *

At first Clyde knew nothing but the sensation of waking to silence.

Then he blinked and his eyes became used to the dim lighting in the cargo hold of the ship.

Any trace of drowsiness left him swiftly as he realized he was sitting on the floor, his hands tied behind his back.

_He was tied to the same post Penelope had been tied to..._

He looked around – Penelope and Sylvester were gone...

Then someone stepped forward and he saw two highly polished leather shoes in front of him.

Clyde looked up the owner of the shoes.

Frankie Sparks was standing over him, fixing him with a hardened glare that seemed to slice right through him.

"_You burned my bar."_ He stated.

Clyde's eyes grew wider.

"_And I'm sorry! I...I'll buy you another one! I have money...I'm Clyde McDonald, I can get hold of anything...I can –"_

A swift kick from Sparks knocked the air from his lungs.

As Clyde sat tied to the post Sparks looked down at him, holding back most of his rage because he knew what he wanted to say and he was going to say it while Clyde was still in a fit state to take in his words...

Sparks took in a deep breath, briefly closing his eyes as a past flashed through his mind that held more pain than he could measure.

Then he focussed on Clyde once more.

_"I hate your kind."_ He said in a low voice, "I hate people like you, people who deal in drugs. You have blood on your hands and the blood you're stained with is _far_ worse than any stains I could ever carry, you piece of shit! _You deal in death_. You take away lives and you do it to line your pockets. You do it every day and don't give a second thought to fathers and mothers left with dead children. _I'm a father whose son died because of drugs and tonight I almost lost another son - because of you!_"

And Clyde looked up at him with fear in his eyes as cold terror swept over him as he finally understood where the path he had chosen to walk in life had led him to; _it had led him to this, a situation that he was sure he would not be walking away from..._

"Please let me go!"

As his words echoed around the hollow room he knew before he saw the smile on Sparks face that his begging and pleading would amount to nothing.

Sparks just shook his head and turned and walked away, hitting a switch on the wall and killing the lights in the cargo hold.

"_WAIT!"_ Clyde yelled as he struggled to loosen his bonds, _"Come back, get me out of here! Help me!"_

Then he drew in a breath and stared at the dimly lit corridor beyond. Sparks had gone now...

Clyde gave up trying to loosen the rope that tied him to the post as he wondered about the explosives planted on the ship:

_Was he planning to blow the ship and have him go down with it?_

The thought of slowly drowning in the cargo hold filled him with panic and he began to frantically to struggle to loosen the rope that tied his hands, he tried and failed and then a shadow darted across the room.

Clyde looked up, seeing nothing in the dim light that crept in from the corridor beyond the open doorway.

"Who's there?" He said breathlessly.

Then a small figure stepped closer and Clyde gave a sigh of relief:

_He wasn't sure what a little kid was doing wandering about on the ship, but he was sure he could help him get loose from this rope..._

"Hey kid..." He said quickly, "Come here, I need some help..."

The figure stepped closer.

Clyde's eyes grew wide with terror:

_This was no kid._

_This was a small man, aged around thirty wearing a sharp suit and carrying an even sharper switch blade knife..._

Yak Yak fixed his dark eyes on Clyde McDonald and smiled.

"_Goodnight."_ He stated, raising the blade high in the air.

Just as Clyde screamed, Sparks was stepping off the ship.

He heard the scream down in the cargo hold and then the screaming stopped and the world fell silent once more.

Sparks walked over to the limo and leaned against it with a smile on his face; it always made him happy in his heart to know another piece of trash had been taken off the streets - _and Clyde was history now..._

He checked his watch and then he waited for Yak Yak to finish the job and join him back on dry land.

* * *

By morning the bar was nothing but a blackened shell where debris lay in a charred heap and faint tendrils of smoke rose from the ruins.

Penelope's pink car was parked a short distance away from the scene of the blaze and as Snoozy stood beside Sylvester and surveyed the damage he blinked away tears.

"_That was my home!"_

Sylvester saw the look in Snoozy's eyes and put his arm around his shoulder.

He guessed this was the last thing he needed to find out about after coming out of the hospital; he had been through enough with Clyde beating him up, but now he had lost his home, too...

"It's going to be okay. Sparks is having the place rebuilt."

Snoozy stifled a sob.

"_I've got no where to live!"_

Sylvester took his arm off his shoulder and glanced at Penelope.

She smiled and so did Sylvester; they had already talked about this...

"_You can come and stay with us until the bar gets rebuilt."_

Snoozy's eyes lit up and he smiled.

"_Really?_ Do you mean it?"

Penelope laughed softly.

"Of course we mean it! Now let's get in the car and go home."

As they turned away from the ashes and walked back towards Penelope's pink car, Sylvester glanced at Snoozy.

"There's just one thing I want you to remember."

"What?" Snoozy wondered.

"_The bedroom." _He reminded him, "Don't forget to _knock!_"

And Snoozy laughed.

"I won't forget that ever again!" He promised, and the three of them got into the car and headed off home.

* * *

A week later Penelope had woken up late after a long, deep sleep and then she had got out of bed and looked out of her window.

The sun was rising high in a blue sky and its rays were falling through the heavy boughs of the trees that lined the pathway.

For a brief moment she recalled the night the hooded figure had stepped out from the shadows and looked up at her from that same path, the thought clouded her eyes as she remembered his name:

_Hooded Claw._

Then she thought about how Clyde had fooled her, how she had spent years being afraid of a man who did not exist...

_The Hooded Claw had only ever lived in her nightmares._

_He had never been real._

The memory would always linger, all the memories of the past, from her parent's killing to her own close brush with death, and it had all been down to one man.

_A man, just a man – not a monster._

_She knew for sure now, there were no monsters, there never had been and there never would be..._

Then Penelope smiled as her thoughts turned to happier times, and to her best friend Melanie.

She had been right about everything, and Penelope had apologized to her over throwing her out the way she did – again, that had all been Clyde's fault...

Melanie had accepted her apology.

It was good to have her best friend back in her life, and she was coming over to the house later, too – she had been coming over to the house almost every day lately - mainly because she rather liked Snoozy, Sylvester's lazy friend who often went missing and when he vanished could always be found in the hammock at the bottom of the garden doing what he loved to do best – snoozing...

Penelope's eyes were still fixed on the sunlit garden below as he walked up behind her and took hold of her.

"_I've got you now, Penelope Pitstop."_ Sylvester whispered as he wrapped his strong tattooed arms around her and held her close.

Penelope turned and slid her arms around her lover and smiled as she looked into his eyes.

"You most certainly have got me, Sylvester." She said warmly, "And I never want you to let me go!"

"Don't worry about that, my dear." Her lover replied as he held her tightly, "I promise I'll _never l_et you go, I love you Penelope!"

"I love you too, Sylvester." She whispered.

And their lips touched and their kiss grew deeper as the sun shone through the window, where beyond lie a garden with no more secrets, no monsters lurking in the shadows, that state of the world outside being much like the light that filled Penelope's world now:

Life was just as she wanted it to be, she was in the arms of Sylvester Sneekly and there was no Hooded Claw.

_There never had been a Hooded Claw, because he had never existed in the first place..._

The End.


End file.
